Two Birds
by jabastian
Summary: Annie and Finnick's love story-from the day they met to the birth of their son.
1. Chapter 1-5,6

**A/N: I just want to make you aware of a few things before you start reading this. First, I've rated this story as M just to be safe-let's be real the whole idea of the Hunger Games is horrifying, and a certain level of maturity is required to understand. This is not going to be an extremely graphic story, or one filled with smut. I tried to write with the same level of detail about these things as Suzanne Collins did. Second, this story is already finished-I waited until I had a complete product to start publishing, because I wanted this to be polished and I didn't want to leave anyone hanging. Finally, this story starts with the first time Annie and Finnick meet each other and skips around a bit after that-aka "the important moments." Perspective will alternate, but not with any sort of precise pattern. Hope you enjoy!**

_5,6_

Emmett was holding her hand as they walked to school. Annie knew that he was reluctant to have anything to do with her, but their mother had begged, begged between ragged labor pains. Their father was more focused on their mother, but he too had encouraged Emmett to _please, just walk your little sister to school_. As they entered the schoolyard, she was shocked back into the present as Emmett dropped her hand and headed off towards his friends, the group of eight-year old boys that seemingly ruled the younger side of the school.

Annie looked around, weighing her own options. The girls in neat skirts still being fussed over by their mothers? Surely they wouldn't want to associate with someone like her-too sheltered. There were a few girls already lined up at the door to their classroom-too virtuous. A few girls were playing in the sand-too babyish. Finally, she spotted two girls who were talking to a group of boys probably only a year or two older than she. While the girls appeared to be holding their own, Annie could tell her presence was desperately needed to dissuade the boys. Smoothing her skirt and locking her jaw, Annie approached the group.

"Shouldn't you boys be hanging out with girls your own age?" she called out, with more bravado than she really felt. All four of the older boys whipped around to look at her, but she was only paying attention to the one who was clearly the ringleader. His face curved into a smile that was white and already far too confident of its charms. Annie stepped past him, never letting her eyes leave his own, and linked her arms with those of the girls she had claimed for friends.

"I suppose we should just let these girls be," the boy with the white teeth smiled, nodding towards his friends. The other three turned around immediately, but he took only one step backward before blowing a kiss.

"My name's Finnick. Finnick Odair."

Annie rolled her eyes and forcibly steered the two girls around, before tossing her own name over her shoulder. "Annie Cresta. Emmett is my brother."

She caught a glimpse of the surprised look that crossed Finnick's face as he looked between Emmett and her, finding the resemblance. With a smirk, he turned around and raced after his friends, leaving Annie to her own friends.


	2. Chapter 2-10,11

_10,11_

The net she was dragging behind her was heavy, full of fish, but Annie knew it wouldn't be enough. Emmett was out of commission with his broken arm, and her father was no help (_not since her mother died and he started drinking_), so it was up to her to feed the three of them, plus Perrin and Asher, her two younger brothers. Her father was always stealing food from Asher, claiming that he'd killed their mother and didn't deserve to eat, which meant whatever portion she saved for herself would have to be halved. With these heavy thoughts on her mind, Annie trudged forward to drop off the fish at the harbor's main center, where she would receive compensation that would provide her family with dinner that night.

All at once, she felt the heavy weight lifted from her shoulders. Spinning around, ready to take down whoever was trying to steal her fish, she was startled by the sight of Finnick Odair. He simply gave her his infuriating smirk, before swinging her net behind him, on top of his own.

"Finnick! That's mine!"

He simply laughed. "I'm trying to help you out, Cresta. Although if you'd like to carry my trident and knives, I wouldn't object."

Frowning, Annie stepped towards him and hefted his trident onto her own shoulder, while tucking his knives into her belt alongside her own. She knew she was carrying far less than he was, but she also knew that she had learned a long time ago on the playground not to argue with Finnick Odair when he got something into his head. The two walked in companionable silence all the way to the harbor center, where their fish would be weighed and then they would be appropriately rewarded. As Finnick dropped both of the nets down, one of the peacekeepers stepped forward.

"This one yours, Odair?" he barked. Finnick shook his head and nodded towards Annie, indicating that she had fished everything in the fuller net that Annie knew was his. Bewildered, Annie found herself unable to speak as the two nets were weighed, and they were each given a slip indicating their owners. Finally, she found her voice as the two headed toward the kitchen where they could trade their slip in for some food, and money for the remaining percentage.

"Why did you do that?"

Finnick gave her his practically patented smirk. "Because I wanted to," he said before he disappeared to trade his ticket in for money. Annie did what she always did, trading in half of her ticket for food and the other half for money. As she left the building, she saw Kelsey and Rachel, the two girls she had aligned herself with all those years ago. She raced clumsily to catch up to them.

"You'll never believe what Finnick Odair just did," she said, starting the conversation as if all pleasantries had already been exchanged. Kelsey looked over all that she was carrying and laughed.

"Did he switch his net with yours?"

"How did you know?"

"Annie. Finnick Odair has been switching his fishing net with a girl's nearly every day for the past few months. He's determined to win all of our hearts with the extra food his net will provide."

Annie looked down and let out a relieved laugh. She had been afraid that Finnick Odair had set his sights on her in particular, but it appeared this was just another gesture he was making in order to win the heart of the entire female population in District 4.

"It will take a lot more than fish to win my heart."


	3. Chapter 3-11,12

_11, 12_

"Annie! Don't you try and hide from me! I know that you haven't been giving me everything you've been earning!"

Her father was roaring, his voice reverberating through the entire house. Emmett, his favorite, was sitting in the living room, safe from her father's rage, while she hid in the bedroom she shared with her two younger brothers. Perrin and Asher were trembling in her embrace, terrified by the temper their father was displaying. Annie knew that things were only going to get worse from here, so she kissed them both on top of the head, and then headed out to face her father.

The back of his neck was already red, indicating that he was already drunk. Annie took a deep breath before stepping into the kitchen and clearing her throat.

"There you are! Don't just stand there, girl! Give it to me!"

"I've already given you everything, I don't kn-" he cut her off with a savage hit to the face. Annie saw the white flash of pain she knew accompanied these blows and grabbed on to the counter to remain upright.

"Don't make me ask again, girl! I know you have more!"

Annie tried to shake her head, open her mouth to deny his words, but she was knocked down with a hard blow to the stomach. As her vision cleared the white and the tiny black dots, she saw that Emmett had finally gotten off of the couch and was standing in front of her, placating their father. Slowly she stood up and began to prepare dinner, listening to the murmur of Emmett's comforting words towards their father.

When she served dinner, the family was quiet, even her father. She ate as slowly as she could, resisting the urge to sprint from their home and never stop running. She waited patiently, cleaned all of the dishes, put her younger brothers to bed, and mended the hole in her net before finally letting her legs move. She escaped quietly out the back window, and once her feet hit the ground, she didn't stop running until she felt saltwater rushing over her toes.

The cove was where she always went on nights when her dad was particularly bad. She would sit on the beach and let the water slide over her, and only then she'd feel calm. With a weary sigh, she dropped down into a sitting position, her eyes staring at the line where sky met ocean.

"Annie?" A voice pulled her from her daze and she turned, only to see Finnick Odair approaching her. She gave him a simple wave of acknowledgment and turned forward once more, trying to show him that she wasn't in the mood to talk. He didn't seem able to read her signal, unfortunately, as a minute later she felt him settle into the sand beside her.

For minutes, neither of them said anything. Annie was feeling more and more unnerved. Finnick was a talker, someone who didn't like silence. Why wasn't he saying anything to her? Finally, the pull of curiosity was too much, and she turned to face him.

"I knew you'd look eventually!" Finnick laughed triumphantly, but then he stopped. "Wait, what happened to you?" It was as he was reaching towards her face that Annie remembered the bruise her father had given her, and the fact that he hadn't been able to see it before when he sat down. She whipped her head back to face forward.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie, I can see someone hit you, what-"

"NOTHING!"

This time Annie shouted, and her voice broke just a little at the end of the word. Tears came unbidden down her face, but she still didn't look at Finnick. He had started to stand up, startled by her strong reaction, but after a minute, he sat back down.

He didn't say anything else, but he didn't leave until morning.


	4. Chapter 4-12,13

_12, 13_

It was a bright summer day, and Annie was heading back to the ocean after a lunch break. She and her brothers were all fishing now, and her father wasn't nearly so difficult to deal with, now that he had enough money for alcohol. Things would be tense again during the school year, but for now her life was very peaceful.

"Annie!" a familiar voice called out behind her. Annie turned around to the grinning face of Finnick Odair.

"Hello, Finnick."

"Come, now, that wasn't very friendly! It's almost as if you don't want me around!"

"I'd hate to give off that impression," Annie deadpanned, her voice droll. Finnick laughed and then fell into step with her as if they were the closest of friends. Annie enjoyed his pleasant, albeit boring conversation as they headed back towards the harbor center to pick up their nets for afternoon fishing. Eventually Finnick stepped closer to her, too close.

"Annie, you want to go get dinner together after we're done with work?"

"Why, Finnick, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were asking me out."

Annie watched as several emotions broke through his usual confident façade. Within seconds, Finnick had regained his composure.

"Well that was where I was going with things…"

"No."

"What?"

Annie felt her face bloom into a full-blown smile at the confusion and surprise on Finnick's face.

"Please. Finnick, you have every other girl in school interested in you, surely you can ask one of them? And besides, when I look at you, I still see the six year old boy at the playground, trying to intimidate my best friends. I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

Annie continued walking backwards, looking at Finnick's face, which had morphed into a priceless expression of confusion. No doubt, she was the first girl to ever reject him. And she certainly knew just how many girls had said yes. With a merry wave, she turned around and grabbed her net, heading off to her designated spot. She had walked another dozen yards before Finnick finally found his voice.

"You're going to regret that decision the day you realize you're in love with me, Annie Cresta!"

Annie whirled around to see his smiling face, before he turned around and strutted off. _What an ego_, she thought as she continued on her way.


	5. Chapter 5-13,14 (Part 1)

_13, 14_

All of them were gathered for the reaping. People with the higher odds of being picked were situated towards the front of the crowd, and Annie found herself somewhere in the middle of the group. As a 13 year old, her name was entered twice automatically in the lottery, but she had agreed to have her named added an additional four times in order to earn tesserae for her brothers. Emmett's name was entered five times due to his age (16), and an additional four times for more tesserae. Luckily, Perrin was still eight and Asher seven, so she didn't have to worry about them being reaped yet.

Delilah Curio, the Capital woman who chaperoned victors from District 4 stepped onto the stage, wearing a bizarre dress that reminded Annie of the cotton candy she'd eaten once on the pier with her mother. Delilah was followed by the Victors from District 4-an old woman who moved remarkably fast for her age, two middle-aged men accompanied by a middle-aged woman, and a woman in her late 20s. Feeling a bit of shame, Annie realized that she did not know any of their names.

Delilah stepped up and gave a brief speech that Annie didn't pay attention too. She was feeling too keyed up, fear-based adrenaline surging through her veins. Eventually, she watched as Delilah Curio stepped towards the large bowl that contained all of the possible female tributes from District 4. She selected one piece of paper with her perfectly manicured hands and carried it back with her to the microphone. She unfolded it slowly.

"Our female tribute from District 4 is Abigail Carrigan!"

Annie breathed a guilty sigh of relief. She watched as a girl with dark black hair stepped out from a few rows in front of her and headed towards the stage with confidence. Once she had climbed all the steps, and reached Delilah, Delilah turned around and called for volunteers. Abigail glared at the crowd, and then allowed herself a small smile when she realized no one was going to jump up and volunteer for her. With the female tribute decided, Delilah teetered over to the large bowl containing all of the potential male names and carefully picked a second piece of paper. She unfolded this piece slowly too, letting the suspense linger,

"Our male tribute from District 4 is Finnick Odair!"

Annie felt herself gasp. _Finnick Odair? Finnick, the boy who had helped her with her fish nets? The boy who had asked her to dinner? The boy who had been the most talked about boy in her grade, his grade, and the grade above for years at school? Why would Finnick Odair be reaped?_ She felt a pressure in her chest as, for the first time; she waited for someone she knew to walk towards the stage at the reaping. Finnick had to be extracted from the middle of the pack on the boys' side, and by the time he was walking in front of everyone, he had assumed his usual swaggering walk and heart-melting smirk. He kissed Delilah's hand when he reached the top of the stage, and then folded his hands behind his back as Delilah called for any volunteers. For one moment, Annie watched as Finnick's eyes widened and searched the crowd with a desperation she had never seen before. No one stepped up, and Finnick lifted his eyes, his usual smile focused into a determined straight lip.

"May the odds be ever in the favor of our two tributes!" Delilah twittered as Finnick and Abigail were led from the stage to the District Hall, where friends and family would gather to say their goodbyes. As the crowd around her began to dissipate, Annie knew she had to talk to Finnick. They weren't lovers, and they were barely friends, but Annie knew she needed to speak to the boy with the beautiful smile and the boatload of confidence.

Pushing through the initial crowd towards District Hall proved to be a difficult task for Annie, and by the time she had reached the side doors, a crowd of screaming, sobbing girls all begging to enter and speak to Finnick had gathered. Annie knew that she wasn't going to get in by pretending to be another fangirl, but she took advantage of the hysteria to push her way up to the front of the crowd where she could speak to a peacekeeper.

"Another girlfriend?"

"Please. Finnick Odair doesn't have a girlfriend, he has… admirers. I'm not one of them though. I'm his best friend," Annie rolled her eyes towards to the crowd, as if she was used to a gaggle of girls following her best friend Finnick around when they tried to hang out. After a few nerve-racking seconds in which she assumed the peacekeeper was trying to determine how truthful she was being, he stepped aside, and another peacekeeper led her to the room where Finnick was presumably talking to his parents. A few minutes later, the door was opened, and she was allowed inside.


	6. Chapter 6-13,14 (Part 2)

_13, 14_

Finnick Odair was scared. He was tall and strong, sure, but he was only 14. He was only 14 years old, and he would be battling for his life against people who were much closer to adulthood and maturity. His mother had cried a few tears, his father had gruffly patted him on the back and told him to "try hard to win now, son." A few of his friends had visited, each shaking his hand and telling him good luck, with eyes so sad, he wondered if his easy-going smile had lost all of its charm in the last hour. Jared was just leaving through one door when an unexpected visitor entered.

"Annie?"

Finnick was surprised. What was she doing here? This girl who had said no to him, this girl who had refused to talk with him that night on the beach, this girl who was interesting while not being on his mind all that much, this was the girl who came to visit him? She must have seen his surprise as she let out a little snort before explaining.

"There was a crowd of screaming girls outside, begging to say goodbye to you. I told them I'm your best friend, so they let me in, but continued to bar the others. It probably wouldn't look too good if one of the tributes was mobbed to death by adoring fans before he even entered the arena." Annie sat down and clasped her hands in her lap. Finnick was still feeling caught off-guard, but he tried to cover it up with one of his most winning smiles.

"I see. I told you, you would fall in love with me. It's a shame I'm not exactly in a position to reciprocate your feelings and live happily ever after."

Annie stood up, anger flashing across her face as she approached him.

"I'm not in love with you, you dolt. I'm here because…because District 4 hasn't had a champion in years, and _I know_ that you can win."

Finnick looked at her, feeling surprised, and a bit touched by the conviction he heard in her voice.

"Annie, that's very sweet, but,-"

"Just listen to me! We don't have a lot of time left. You are strong, agile; you'll probably be one of the most physically capable tributes, even if you are only 14. You're attractive-shut up, we both know it's true-and the people with money in the Capitol are going to see that too. If you're charming-something I'm sure won't be a problem-that, combined with your looks should get you all of the sponsors you need. Figure out your allies before entering the arena, I'm sure many people will be eager to team up with you. Finnick, you are going to win this game-because you're going to go into it knowing that that is exactly what this is to the Capitol people. It's a game. The favorite has the best chance of winning, and you're going to be the favorite, do you understand?"

Finnick looked at Annie, at the wild look in her eyes as she rattled off all of the reasons why he could win. "Do you really think I can win?"

Annie rolled her eyes and gave him a look. He was feeling reassured by her promises, but personal doubt and the fear in her eyes was making him anxious. He didn't know how to express this, or how to tell her that he was terrified of losing his life. Suddenly, she leaned forward. Finnick was surprised when she pressed her lips against his, her small hand delicately holding on to his shoulder. The kiss ended after only a few seconds, and then Annie turned to go. His throat was dry, but he managed to speak up before she left the room. "Is that all the encouragement you're going to give me? I might die!"

Annie turned towards him with a mischievous look on her face. "Finnick, you're just going to have to wait until you come back to figure out what I think about you."


	7. Chapter 7-13,14 (Part 3)

_13, 14_

The train was moving incredibly fast, but Finnick wasn't paying attention to the landscape flying beside him. Abigail, his 18 year old tribute partner, had decided that she was going to be the District's best shot at another victor, and had insisted three of the mentors speak with her and begin devising a strategy. He looked over at the older woman in the corner, someone who was clearly one of the first winners the Hunger Games had ever seen. He approached her corner, away from the other four, and sat down.

"I'm Finnick. I apologize but…I can't seem to remember your name."

The old woman smiled and patted his hand. "It's okay, dear. I'm Mags. I tend to get pushed out of the initial meetings…younger mentors are apparently more relatable."

Finnick smiled with her, and then leaned in closely, and began to talk to her about everything Annie had said to him. Her eyes lit up as he explained Annie's thoughts, and he could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

"We'll make a victor out of you yet," Mags smiled at him cheerfully as the train slowed into the Capitol station.

A/N: I know this one is short, but I really wanted to show Finnick and Mags' first exchange. The 65th Games are next.


	8. Chapter 8-13, 14 (Part 4)

_13, 14_

The games are a special kind of hell. Finnick does everything he can to be the favorite. He's charming and flirty in all of the interviews before he enters the arena. He shows off all of his strengths during his time in the training center, and they're enough to earn him a couple of alliances with three of the careers and a strong boy from District 9. He's been in the arena for a week before the other tributes in his pack realize that he has been the favorite all along, and by that point he's been awarded a beautiful trident, inlaid with gold and tipped with diamonds. The jungle of the arena provides him with vines that are perfect for creating netting traps. He kills one, two, three, four, five tributes.

Finally it is down to three. He's still alive, and Abigail, and the boy from District 1 she allied herself with from the first day. A wild fire burns down the jungle, and the three of them are trapped in an open, now barren, field. Finnick has never been particularly patient, so he charges after them, swinging a net behind his back and wielding his trident. The battle is long and bloody, as Abigail tries to disarm him with her spear, and he tries to get in close enough to take her down without throwing his trident. The boy from District 1 dances on the periphery of their battle. It's when he shouts something completely nonsensical that Abigail pauses and turns to face him, just for a second. That second is all Finnick needs, and suddenly he's stabbing her in the chest. She's falling on the ground and the boy is stumbling away cradling his broken arm and dislocated leg and Finnick is so tired of playing these games, so tired of being away from the ocean's salty kiss. He rips his trident from Abigail's heaving body and hurls it after the boy, taking him down in the back. Abigail is still struggling to breathe beneath him, and he knows that he owes her a quick end now, for their District. He smooths down her hair and kisses her brow, and then he breaks her neck. The cannon booms and he heads towards the boy who is somehow still alive, taking shallow breaths. Unsheathing the machete knife that he's worn around his belt for days now, he kneels and then swings over and over again at the boy's neck. The cannon has already boomed, Claudius Templesmith is announcing him as the winner, and yet all Finnick can do is keep hacking away at the place where the boy's head used to be attached to his body, keep hacking away until he blacks out.

When Finnick wakes up, he's more well-rested than he's been in weeks, and he's whole. He didn't sustain too many injuries in the games, but the ones he did have been healed fully. His hands, previously scarred from years of working on a boat, fishing for the Districts, are smooth and shiny, unblemished bronzed skin. He thinks that he's whole, that he can return back to himself, when they bring out his bloodstained trident during his interview with Caesar Flickerman. Caesar seems to think that the sight of the trident will bring him great joy, that the idea of keeping forever that which he killed his enemies with will thrill him. Finnick plays nice for the cameras, but once he's offstage, he's sobbing in Mags arms.

"Shh, shhh, it's okay Finnick. It's going to be okay," she smooths his hair, "we'll clean off the blood, and you'll hold it when making your official return to District 4, and then you'll never have to look at it again."

Finnick takes comfort in her words, and pulls himself together. He's fine for the entire train ride home; he's fine as the cameras show him entering the district, walking to his new home in the Victors' Village. He's fine until he's alone, until his own head starts crowding him with thoughts of the horror he's just gone through. And then his hands start to shake, and he can't stop them.


	9. Chapter 9-13, 14 (Part 5)

_13, 14_

Finnick has been home for three days, and he still hasn't been able to sleep without waking up screaming from nightmares. The trident, the most expensive gift ever given in the Hunger Games, the weapon that helped him win, is still in his house, so he grabs it and begins to smash furniture. He only has so much furniture left though, and the violence doesn't help his assuage his fears that he's become some sort of monster. So he takes a walk to the beach. He sits on the sand, in the small cove where he once found Annie with a deep blue bruise on her cheek. He doesn't think about that now though. He thinks of the 23 other people he went into the arena with. He thinks about the seven that he himself killed. The fact that he took out a third of the competition all on his own-surely Mags didn't kill that many people in her Hunger Games? Surely his kill total has to rank up there with the most ruthless tributes? Does that make him a bad person?

It takes a long time, but then, all of a sudden, he notices that Annie is sitting next to him. She's staring straight ahead at the ocean, unconsciously tying and untying a rope in her hands. He watches her do this for a few minutes, and then he watches her deliberately untie it one last time and place it in the sand next between them. He turns forward again and returns to his thoughts. His hands start shaking again, just slightly, but it's enough for Annie to notice. She puts the rope into his hands, and then returns her hands to her lap, all without ever turning to look at him. He stares dumbfounded at the rope in front of him, and then he begins tying knots of his own. With each knot, he ties another memory up and prepares to pack it away, or so he tells himself. He ties knot after knot until the sun begins to rise, and it's only then that Annie stands up and stretches. She tousles his hair, almost as if he were one of her younger brothers, and then she leaves.

She's back again the next night, and the night after that.


	10. Chapter 10-13,14 (Part 6)

_13, 14_

The Victory tour starts tomorrow," Finnick says softly. He turns his head towards Annie, traces the way the moon highlights her profile with his eye, before she finally turns to look at him. It's been six months since the games, and they've spent at least half of the nights since the Games on the beach. Usually they don't talk, the two of them just sit there tying knots and ruminating on their own thoughts. Finnick has always been so loud, but somehow he's comfortable being silent around her. There have been a few times when he's broken down and yelled, not so much because he's angry with her, but because he's angry that he can't seem to get past the Games. Tonight is the first time he's spoken to her in a civilized tone in months.

"I know, Finnick. Everybody is talking about it."

"I don't know why."

"People think you're a hero. A victor."

Finnick snorts as he looks at her, trying to judge what she thinks. She looks at him with her green-blue eyes and gives him a sad smile.

"Finnick, you did what you had to. I told you, the favorite sets him or herself up for the best chance of winning. You made yourself the favorite, and you did what you had to do to win." He stares at her for a few long seconds, trying to work out the words he wants to say. The only thing that comes to mind is something completely ridiculous and light for such a heavy situation…but it's so _him_, so _who he used to be_, that he says it anyway.

"I didn't hear you say anywhere in there that _you_ think I'm a hero." Annie lets out a startled laugh, and suddenly Finnick finds himself laughing too. He's laughing so hard that he can't stop himself, and Annie is right beside him, rolling around in the sand, laughing at the stupid thing he's just said. Eventually they calm down, and they fall into the more comfortable silence he's grown so accustomed to. As dawn starts to color the sky, Annie stands up, as she usually does and turns to walk away. But then she turns back, and speaks to him.

"Good luck on the tour. Bring the rope with you. I'll see you, here, when you get back."

"Same time?"

She nods in response, and then wanders down the beach.

A/N: Last scene at 13,14; I promise.


	11. Chapter 11-14,15

_14, 15_

As soon as the Victor of the 66th Hunger Games is announced, Finnick is ready to go home. He's ready for the quiet beach nights he spends with Annie, and the simple sight of the waves instead of kids killing each other. When he gets home though, it takes three nights of waiting at the beach, of crying over the two tributes he helped Mags mentor, only to see them fail. When she does show up, he's bitterly angry, and he finds himself shouting.

"Where were you?"

She looks startled, but then her eyes harden and she is yelling back at him. "Finnick, these games weren't just hard for you! Emmett's best friend died!"

"And I had to watch him! I had to try and guide him, and then watch as he died anyways! I had to watch as Connor died, and I had to watch as Ariel died too!"

"Asher has had nightmares ever since Connor died, and no one else is there to comfort him! Emmett has taken to stealing Dad's liquor and Dad's taken to beating Emmett. You aren't the only one struggling!"

"None of you know what it's like! You don't know what it's like; living in a cage, knowing that the only way out is killing other people, people who might have been your friends! You don't know the _hunted_ feeling of the arena!" His breath starts coming in deep, stuttering breaths as he tries not to lose everything entirely, and he watches Annie's face crumple before she envelopes him in a bone-crushing hug. It's the first time someone has hugged him since Mags comforted him after the interview with Caesar Flickerman, and he's hugging her back just as tightly, as if she's the only thing anchoring him to this world.

Finally, they're both calmed down enough, and they separate. Annie cups his chin with her hand, and he's struck by how tiny her fingers are, and how delicately she's holding his face.

"Finnick, why don't you try sleeping tonight? I'll be there with you, sitting in a chair just across the room," she keeps trying to convince him, but he's shaking his head, sure that tonight he'll see Connor and Ariel in his nightmares. Somehow though, she guides him home and tucks him into bed. The last thing he hears as he crashes into sleep is her murmur.

"You can't live like this forever. You can't keep punishing yourself. You have to thrive."


	12. Chapter 12-15,16 (Part 1)

_15, 16_

Finnick is being escorted through the President's mansion, and he doesn't know what to think. It doesn't make sense why he was summoned here, directly after arriving on the train as a mentor to District 4's two tributes for the 67th annual Hunger Games.

The peacekeepers that have surrounded him for the entire walk melt away at the sight of an imposing mahogany door, and Finnick can tell that this is where the president will be, that this is where the president is waiting for him, for whatever reason. He pauses before lifting his hand to reach for the door handle. When he does pull at the door, it opens silently, and the door is lighter than he expects. He steps inside to see President Snow sitting quietly at his desk. He doesn't turn to face Finnick when he enters, doesn't acknowledge Finnick's presence until Finnick is directly in front of him.

"Finnick Odair. Please sit down," Snow gestures towards a chair, and Finnick finds himself sitting down slowly, and his brows knit together as he looks at President Snow. The president doesn't say anything for a while, but when he does speak it comes out in a measured voice.

"Finnick Odair. The youngest Victor in 66 years of the Hunger Games. Young, beautiful, victorious…everything a woman could possibly want in a man. Of course, you were _so_ young last year…but this year, you're 16. Practically an adult. Now, the demand for you has grown almost unbearable. And of course, we can't deny the people of the Capitol that which they crave, can we?"

"No…sir I'm not quite sure I understand your meaning."

"You are going to have a string of lovers. People I believe need to be…subdued, for whatever reason. You are going to fulfill your role to the best of your abilities, doing whatever is asked of you by your companion at the time. You are going to do this because I tell you to."

Finnick is shocked, and because he is a victor, his reaction to fear and shock is to move and protect himself. So he jumps up, puts the chair between the two of them, slams his fist on the back of the chair. "And why the hell do you think I'm going to do that?"

President Snow simply smiles, and then nods his head, indicating something behind Finnick. Finnick whips around, not sure what to expect. What he sees is a television screen playing something that looks familiar but can't quite place. And then it hits him. _It's his old house_, where he used to live, before he became a victor. And in the house, sipping coffee at a table, sits his father. Finnick is frozen, frozen as he watches peacekeepers invade a place that should have been safe. Frozen, as the peacekeepers take his father unaware and begin to beat him. Frozen, as his father is forced to the ground on his knees. Frozen, as his father takes a bullet through the head.

"We don't want to see that happen to anyone else you love, do we?" President Snow's voice hisses in Finnick's ear. Finnick swallows, feels tears threatening his face, but he nods. He nods to show his consent.

"That's what I thought. I'll have someone up who can show you the way to…Scarlett's house." Finnick doesn't move as the president exits the room. He starts to shake, and a couple of tears fall before he can contain himself. When the escort comes, he is his usual charming self.

"I hear you know the way to my beloved's house?"


	13. Chapter 13-15,16 (Part 2)

_15, 16_

He's numb the whole way home. He doesn't think about the two kids who perished after his instructions. He thinks about the women he had to seduce. He thinks about the cameras that watched him, as he watched the Games with a different woman on his arm every other night, and the fact that those shots of him supposedly enjoying the games with his lovers have been aired all over Panem. And, inexplicably, he finds himself thinking of Annie. He wonders what she's thought about when she's seen him on the screen, frolicking around with various Capitol women. When he gets off of the train, he notices that no one is waiting for him, or any of the other mentors.

Instead, Annie is in his house. He's surprised, given the fact that whenever they do meet on purpose, it's at night and on the beach. And yet she's here in his house, bustling around the kitchen table, tidying things up.

"Annie what are you doing here?"

She pauses, then straightens up and asks him the question he's been dreading. "Do you know what happened to your father?" Finnick doesn't know how to answer, or if he should even tell her what's happened. He can tell by the pity in her eyes that she knows he's struggling. "Well, I guess you do of course. Your mom's been a bit of a wreck ever since, so I've been trying to help out."

Finnick thanks her, and then heads upstairs to check in on his mother. _How much do they know_? he wonders. And then he follows it up with another question that will be harder to answer-_why is Annie the one helping me so much_?


	14. Chapter 14-15,16 (Part 3)

_15, 16_

It's been weeks since Finnick has been home, and things have yet to calm down. His mother is still weak, terrified and confused by his father's sudden death. Annie is there almost every day, to help his mother, and at the beach almost every night, to help him. One night, he's had enough. He needs to know what she's thinking, what she's up to.

"Annie, why have you helped me so much?"

Her reply is quick-witted, something unexpected. "Why? Are you planning on replacing me with that woman with the peacock feathers tattooed around her eyes?" At this, Finnick laughs.

"So I see you noticed that I was not alone when watching the Games." Annie laughs and then looks down for a moment, before responding. "Well the cameras were on you quite a bit. And I suppose you've run through most of the girls around here."

Finnick smiles. "I'm not quite as bad as you think, you know."

Annie doesn't answer, until the wave reaches past their toes, and then she's splashing him and laughing. "Finnick Odair, don't you dare think you have secrets from me!"

"He made me! President Snow, he made me!" This secret bursts from Finnick, comes flying out from the pit of his stomach where he thought he'd hidden it away. Annie stops splashing him, stops laughing. She looks all the way around her, as if making sure no one is looking at them, before leaning in.

"He made you do what exactly?"

Finnick tells her, he tells her everything. He tells her because he's only 16 years old and he doesn't know how to cope with this, and telling someone seems to relieve some of the pressure that he's felt on his chest since the bullet went through his father's head. When he finishes, she hugs him tight.

"I can't make this okay. But I'm always going to be here."


	15. Chapter 15-17,18 (Part 1)

_17, 18_

Annie slowly becomes Finnick's rescue. His mother asks if they're "together," but he doesn't think so. He doesn't even know if that's what he wants. He's so broken inside, from the Games in the arena and the Games President Snow is having him play. She's the only one who knows that his string of lovers from the Capitol aren't his idea, the only one who knows that he still has nightmares from the games.

It's when he's standing there, watching the reaping for the 69th Hunger Games, that he realizes he's terrified for another reason. Annie is somewhere in the crowd. Annie can still be reaped for the Games. She's only 17, so even if she survives this year with her name in the lottery six times, there is still next year, with her name in their seven times. If Annie is reaped…then he won't be able to survive. It's those moments on the stage when he realizes that he loves Annie. She's crept up on him, and now he can't live without her.

When he reaches the Capitol, he asks to visit the president's mansion, and he's escorted there after half an hour. When he arrives in the president's study this time, he doesn't sit down. He remains standing, firm.

"I understand that I'm a desirable victor. I know that you want me to do this job for you. But I have my own life…at some point I'm going to want…well probably, want to get married. When I reach a certain age, I insist that we end this deal we have."

President Snow is quiet for a moment, and then he smiles.

"Mr. Odair, you really should learn that you can't create the rules to the game unless you have all of the pieces."

These words make Finnick turn around, towards the screen where he saw his father die. It's fuzzy, and making a strange humming sound, but after a few moments it clears up and focuses in. This time the camera is on his house in the Victor's circle. His mother is eating at the kitchen table, and he starts screaming, saying that he'll do anything, just please, please don't kill her. He thinks for a minute that his words have been heard…but then she starts to choke. Spasms start, and then she falls to the ground. A faint line of froth slides from her mouth. Finnick is still screaming, pounding at the television now, when he suddenly remembers something. He remembers the secret Aurelia had told him, the secret she had exchanged for his pleasure. _President Snow became president with poison_. He thinks about how ill his mother has been throughout this past year, how many bad days she's had…has she been poisoned all along?


	16. Chapter 16-17,18 (Part 2)

_17, 18_

The second he's back home from the 69th Hunger Games, Finnick finds Annie. His mother is dead, and Annie is the only one he has left now. She's in the little house that she's always lived in, and her brothers are all still around her. Her father is gone, something that he thinks is good, because even though she won't talk about it, he knows that he is the one who hits her. He asks if they can talk in private, because he needs to talk about what he's seen, what he knows. She can clearly see that he's troubled, because she agrees immediately and yells at Emmett to drag Perrin and Asher outside and do something with their lives. When she leads him into the bedroom she shares with her brothers, she turns him with such concern in her eyes that he feels the need to add some levity to the situation.

"Four years ago, you told me that I was 'just going to have to wait until I came back to know what you thought of me.' I knew then that you were in love with me, but I didn't realize it was going to take another four years before your shell cracked and you told me."

Annie hits his arm, a bit harder than necessary, but she's laughing so he knows that she doesn't mind too much. "I still haven't said anything of the sort, you realize. It might take another four years, or another ten, or-"

"Annie," he says, quieting her. "I love you."

She stops laughing, and she's looking at him quizzically now.

"I don't like going for more than a few hours without seeing you. I dream about your smile. I started shaking at the reaping, because I was so afraid that you might be the one picked. I love you. _I love you."_

Annie is looking at him, still a bit bewildered, but then she's laughing and her hands are on his face and her lips are on his and his arms are wrapping around her waist and he's never felt this happy, _never_. When she finally pulls her lips from his, she only pulls back enough so they can look each other in the eyes.

"Finnick Odair in love? Somewhere, my five year-old self is rolling her eyes."

"I'm slightly more concerned with what 17 year-old Annie is thinking, although I'll keep that in mind."

"I love you too."


	17. Chapter 17-18,19 (Part 1)

_18, 19_

Finnick knows that he will have to keep being someone else in the Capitol, but he is so happy here in District 4, where he gets to hold Annie's hand at night on the beach. The two of them spend as much time together as possible. Annie still has to work on the boats, fishing, but she's finished with school after winter, so he gets to spend even more time with her. He thinks that she has the brightest smile he's ever seen, the clearest ringing laugh that he's ever heard.

_Annie loves Finnick. He's always been there, in the corner of her mind, but the moment he was reaped was the moment she knew that he was more than just a side character in the story of her life. He came back from the games, more broken than she could have possibly expected, but slowly, they've put him back together. There will always be pieces of him that he hates, memories that he can't get rid of, pieces that President Snow tries to steal away and twist with his python grip, but he's _Finnick_, and he's _hers_ now. _


	18. Chapter 18-18,19 (Part 2)

_18, 19 _

**The sun bright and the sky is clear on the day of the reaping for the 70****th**** Hunger Games. **

Finnick climbs the stairs with his fellow District 4 victors in front of the crowd.

_Annie enters the area with all of the other kids, and she moves toward the front. Her name is only in there seven times, it's been in there more, before Finnick was able to help them with food_.

He watches Delilah as she makes her speech, and he keeps his mind impossibly blank, determined that if he doesn't even think of her, there will be no chance that her name gets picked.

_Delilah picks from the bowl with the boys' names first this time, and Annie is praying, praying that Perrin and Asher will be safe. Perrin is in there twice, and Asher is in there just once, they won't be called, _they won't be called_._

A boy that Finnick has seen around but never spoken to is called. He appears to be about 16 or 17, and he looks eager, something Finnick knows will change if he makes it out of the arena, but he's already focused on Delilah again, as she reaches for a piece of paper in the girls' bowl.

_Annie watches Delilah's fingers unfold the paper with careful delicacy. She watches Delilah read the name, watches as she lifts her face to the microphone, watches as her blue lips shape and release the name into the air._

**"Annie Cresta."**

No. No. No. Finnick can't think of anything else. He watches Annie as she steps out from the crowd and walks up the stairs confidently. He sees her give him a sad little smile before she steps up next to Delilah and raises her hand to the crowd. And suddenly another thought overpowers him. _This is Snow's doing_.

_Annie hears her name, but doesn't react for a moment. And then Kelsey is prodding her gently, and she's stepping out of the crowd. Finnick's face is completely shocked, and she knows that she has to keep it together, look confident for the cameras, because she'll need allies if she wants to survive. She gives Finnick a secret smile, just for him, and then she beams for the crowd, the cameras. Her hands are shaking so badly, but she keeps smiling, hoping that this won't be visible on camera as she lifts her right hand to salute the crowd._


	19. Chapter 19-18,19 (Part 3)

_18, 19_

Annie sits calmly in the room, waiting for her family. They come in individually, Emmett first.

"I'll protect the boys from dad."

Then Perrin and Asher come in, and she's hugging them, reassuring them that she will do whatever it takes to win, that they need to be strong and brave, that she loves them so, so much.

Kelsey and Rachel are next, and they give each other hugs too, and she can see in her eyes that they think she's dead already, that even though she's pretty strong and one of the oldest tributes, she's not going to survive.

Finally, her father stumbles in. He looks at her, touches her hair softly. Then he says the kindest thing he's said to her in years. "You're just like your mother. I'll miss you."

When she's being escorted from the room, she's confused when the peacekeepers begin to lead her upstairs. She asks about the train, asks about where they are going. But when she's shoved into another room, she stops protesting, stops speaking entirely. Because President Snow is sitting in front of her, facing a television screen. Eventually he turns around.

"Hello, Miss Cresta. I hope you're doing well."

Annie nods back, as she has a funny feeling any attempt at speech will come out all wrong. President Snow gives her a slippery smile, and then turns back towards the screen. "Of course, the fact that the most attractive man in Panem seems quite smitten with you must be quite lovely," he says as a video of she and Finnick kissing in front of Finnick's house plays. "Unfortunately, I can't have Mr. Odair…distracted. And while I don't think you'll be a distraction much longer…well I'm going to provide you with some extra incentive." The screen switches feeds and divides into three. Annie gasps as she realizes that each camera is focused on a member of her family. Her father drinking at a bar. Emmett on a fishing boat, already heading out to earn provisions for the family. Perrin and Asher, both sitting at home, tossing a ball back and forth restlessly on the couch. She turns her head towards the President and mouths the word "no." He looks at her with no compassion, and then lifts his index finger, as if to tell her…one. One. _He's asking her to pick which one dies_. Annie knows immediately that her father has to be the one, that she can't kill Perrin or Asher, and that Emmett will take care of them where her father won't…but she has the strangest feeling that the president is going to do the opposite of what she says.

"Not my dad…not my dad," she whimpers. The president smiles, and she has her eyes search the screen. Her father is handed another drink and Annie is terrified that the president has called her bluff, so she desperately searches her mind for what to do next, when suddenly her dad starts choking. He's dying on the scream, and Annie is crying and sending up silent apologies mixed with silent thank yous. President Snow eyes her carefully, and then turns and presses a button. Peacekeepers swarm the third of the screen where Perrin and Asher sit, and Perrin is dragged from the couch, and Annie starts screaming as a bullet is put through his head.

"In the future, it would be best not to lie to me. Then again, we aren't planning on you having much of a future, are we, Miss Cresta?"


	20. Chapter 20-18,19 (Part 4)

_18, 19_

Annie knows that she can't survive these Games, but she also knows that she has to pretend to play along, pretend that she intends to come out alive. When she and Logan, the boy whose name was pulled along with hers in District 4, enter the training arena, she immediately strides over to the tributes from Districts 1 and 2. The boy from District 1 eyes her doubtfully, so she grins at him in a way that says "watch me," before heading over to the target range.

There, she picks up several knives, and the three different sizes of trident available. She stretches her arm briefly, and then she begins to throw. The nine knives she has selected form a shaped heart around the area the dummy's heart would actually be. The smallest trident goes directly into the middle of the face, where it would hit both eyes and the nose. The medium sized trident slashes through the heart she has made. And then she jumps, holding the largest trident, one Finnick would have preferred. At the peak of her jump, she throws the trident, and it goes in at such an angle that it tears through the dummy, from the bottom of her knife heart all the way to the top of the legs. She's only ever killed fish, and the occasional shark, but she's always had excellent aim, so when she turns away, from the dummy, she's not particularly impressed with herself. Everyone else is though, and by the end of the training, she and Logan have both District 1 and 2, and half of District 7 for allies.

At dinner, she tells Finnick about the allies she's made, and she can tell he's pleased, although a bit preoccupied. After dinner, they head up to the roof of the training center in order to speak more privately.

Finnick hugs her so tightly that she knows he's about to whisper something in her ear.

"It's my fault you're here."

"They'll kill Asher and Emmett if I survive."

They spend the rest of the night holding each other, sitting in the silence that they're so good at. It's the next few nights when Finnick talks desperately. He asks her question after question frantically, as if knowing everything there is to know about her will somehow save her in the arena. When the morning of the Games dawns, she kisses him long and hard, before turning around. She doesn't look back.


	21. Chapter 21-18,19 (Part 5)

_18, 19_

The plate where Annie is standing rises into the arena, and all she sees are mountains. A rocky terrain, a few streams here and there, all exposed in the open. When the 60 seconds are up, she moves towards the cornucopia, nodding towards the people whom she has claimed as her pack. Eight people die in the initial bloodbath, but she doesn't have to kill any of them, so she's hanging on. On the fourth day, the tributes from 11 and 12 raid the cornucopia while she and the tributes from 1 and 2 and the boy from 7 are out scouting for other tributes. When they get back, the boy from 2 is so angry with Logan. He's shouting, and then he's swinging his longsword, and suddenly Logan's head is no longer attached to his body. A wave of shock and ice-cold fear washes over her. Annie is screaming, _she can't stop screaming_, and the other tributes are turning on her now, and even as the tribute from 2 is swinging to add her head to his tally, she's throwing the knife that hasn't left her hand in days at his heart. Her knife ends his life and she uses another knife from her belt to end the life of the tribute from 7, and she _still can't stop screaming_, so she turns and runs. Through the fog of hysteria, she hears the girl from 1 telling the girl from 2 "don't worry about her, she'll die soon enough on her own," but she just keeps pushing her legs as far as they can go, running blindly through the mountains.

She hides in a cave near the top of the mountain and stays there for days, shaking, listening to the sound of silence. Two silver parachutes arrive for her, each containing a gallon of water enhanced with electrolytes, and she feels cold at the thought of what Finnick must have done to secure her this, when water is already available in the arena. With each day that passes without a cannon, she knows the gamemakers will be preparing something big, so when the ground begins to shake, she runs from her cave and tries to head for higher ground. Instead, she's swept up by a mass of water dislodged by the earthquake. The cannon goes off, Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!, and now there are eight of them left. Annie swims, and keeps swimming as the cannon goes off six more times in the next few hours, as other tributes presumably drown. She and the tribute from district 1, the one who said she was as good as dead, "fortuitously" float near each other. They know they're the last two left, and Annie knows that if she survives Emmett and Asher will die, so she lets the girl from 1 push her underwater, hold her there for close to five minutes. Then she actually starts feeling the need for air, and her instincts, her will to survive, overpowers any thought of sacrifice. She goes limp, and when the girl loosens her hold, Annie surges upwards, takes a big breath of air, and then drags the girl under with her. Their eyes are open underwater, and the girl from 1 seems to remember that Annie is from District 4, where they're taught to swim before they're taught to walk. Annie keeps her grip firm, and she watches as the girl from 1 succumbs, opens her mouth in search of oxygen, only to fill it with water, to drown in Annie's grasp. Annie emerges from the water, hears Claudius Templesmith's voice, and begins to cry.

She can't look Finnick in the eyes when he greets her, and her victor interview with Caesar Flickerman is peppered with long bouts of silence when she loses track of what is happening and flashes back to the arena. She doesn't laugh at the right time for any of his jokes, and by the time he's done with her, she knows that she's gone crazy, that everyone in Panem thinks she's absolutely nuts, including Finnick, and maybe that's okay, because she knows what is waiting for her at home.


	22. Chapter 22-18,19 (Part 6)

_18, 19_

The entire ride home on the train, Annie cries. Mags strokes her hair gently, over and over, and Finnick sits on the floor next to the couch where she's laying and holds her hand. It doesn't make any difference. She can't stop thinking about the games. Logan's head separating from his body, the three people she killed herself, the way the girl from 9 smiled at her shyly during training and the fact that that smile has been extinguished forever, the days of thirst: all haunt her. She can still process things well enough, but her ability to interact with anything outside of her mind has gone by the wayside, and she's not sure if she even wants to change it. When they arrive at District 4, she is presented with a beautiful house, one that's at the end of the Victor's Village, right by the ocean. She hears that this choice location among the elite houses is something given to her due to the "unfortunate sinking of the ship both her brothers were on."

If it weren't for Mags and Finnick, she would surely be dead. The two of them keep her fed and watered, bathe her. They quiet her screams before the other victors can complain. They bring her to the ocean and slowly she begins to love swimming again. She hasn't spoken a sensible word for months, the only noises she makes are screams and sobs. Finally, she thinks to say something else. Finnick and Mags are eating dinner, making jokes, trying to get her to laugh. And she's so overwhelmed when she realizes that this has to have been just as hard for them as it has been for her. So she forces out a simple sentence.

"Finnick, Mags, thank you."


	23. Chapter 23-19,20

_19, 20_

Annie is better. She's not whole, and Finnick doesn't think he'll ever get to see her whole again, but he doesn't care. She can hold a conversation with him now. She's uncomfortable when she's around anyone who isn't him, or Mags, but he doesn't mind so much. At least her eyes clear when she sees his face, he can see that she not only remembers she loves him, but that she feels that love again.

Mags has a stroke just before the 71st Hunger Games, and Finnick panics. Annie is the one who calls the doctor, the one who holds his hand steady until the doctor comes out and tells them that Mags has survived, although she might be a bit different now. Annie insists that he go back to the Capitol, says that she can take care of Mags for a few weeks, but _he needs to go_ if they want to have a future. For six weeks, Finnick is restless in the Capitol, going through twice as many lovers as normal, calling every day to see how Mags and Annie are doing. Annie sounds distracted on the phone, but after a week, he realizes that this is her code. She is aware that the Capitol will be listening, aware enough to tell him what he needs to know while maintaining the illusion that she's still completely off her rocker. And this clever play makes Finnick feel as if she's really back. She's still in there. But then resentment begins to build, as he realizes that the reason she has to maintain the idea that she's insane is so the Capitol won't do anything to her, or him. So that she never has to come back to the Capitol ever again. ("Typically we like to do an interview with the last victor before the next games start, but it appears the winner of the 70th Hunger Games is still not quite right," Caesar Flickerman had told audiences.) And the reason for this, the system she threatens to break if she recovers, becomes one that he loathes above everything else.


	24. Chapter 24-19-23,20-24

_19-23, 20-24_

So Finnick begins to pay attention. He collects secrets even more fervently now, hoping that these will someday be of use. He befriends more and more of the other victors, tries to find out more and more about the other districts. He waits for a spark, because he learns that there is enough tinder in Panem for flame to catch. And when he watches Katniss Everdeen hand Peeta Mellark a handful of poisonous berries, and the way they raise their hands to their mouths until they are stopped, he knows that this is it. If a girl from District 12, if a girl who was forced into a brutal game wherein she had to kill other kids, can find a way to outsmart the Capitol…well who's to say that the rest of them can't?

He keeps these thoughts a secret from Annie, and from Mags, because he doesn't want to endanger either of them. Sometimes he thinks that they know anyways. Annie covers her ears when she hears about something sad or violent, and then she turns to him, and her eyes beg him to stay by her side for reasons besides fear. Mags kisses his forehead and brushes his hair back before shaking her head whenever he heads off into the night in the Capitol.

He watches as his district begins to simmer, as anger begins to build in the hearts of his people. He notices that Annie and Mags see it too, and he's simultaneously terrified and elated by the steely looks that enter each of their eyes, even as their hands shake.


	25. Chapter 25-23,24 (Part 1)

_23, 24_

It's the kind of perfect day Annie has always loved in District 4, warm with a slight sea breeze, and it's happening so late in the season that she is particularly delighted. The water is just splashing around her ankles, and she's tracing the shapes of the clouds in the sky with her finger. She hears someone in the sand behind her, and she knows it's Finnick, knows it's him in the same way she knows how to breathe and knows that she's been mended with crooked stitches that still allow the occasional leak.

"Annie?" she waits until his arms wrap around her waist to respond, with just a simple sound as she leans back into his chest. "The Quarter Quell announcement is about to come on the television. Let's listen to it together." She turns around and holds his hand, and they walk back, back to her house, where Mags is already waiting. The other four champions from District 4 are there as well, Mags must have wanted them all together for this. She thinks it will be harder for Mags, who has lived through two Quarter Quells already, and the three middle-aged victors who have lived through one, then it will be for she and Finnick and Marina, the only other victor who have seen none of the extreme versions of the Games.

She watches the screen, and when President Snow comes on to make his speech, she flashes back to the time when he made her choose who got to live, and who got to die. She only enters reality again when Finnick pokes her thigh and nods to the screen. The president is opening the envelope, and pulling a crisp ivory sheet of paper from the inside.

"**As a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors."**

Annie's chest caves so impossibly low as she breathes in that she fears her ribs will crack in half. Finnick has started to tremble on her left, and Mags, on her right, is repeating the words the president has said over and over, as if trying to make sense of them. The others are saying "no," in broken voices that remind her of the way the earthquake broke rocks, and one of them is vomiting, and another one is sprinting from her house. As her breath returns, Annie leaps from the couch. She grabs the dusty crown from her mantle and begins to pound it against the wall, over and over, until it is bent in half. She grabs the trident, the one that Finnick used in his games, the one she took from his house and hid in a fault in her wall, so that he wouldn't have to look at it anymore. She grabs it and flings it through her living room, through the kitchen, through the window. The sound of shattered glass startles Finnick, who has been shaking and crying on her couch, and suddenly he snaps out of it and wraps his arms around her. In her desperation, she fights against him. She's strong enough to give him a bit of a struggle, but he overpowers her, carries her to the bed, and pins her down until she stops struggling against him.

Her tears mingle with his now, and sobs are wracking through both of their bodies, but they don't do anything to stop it, they just hold onto each other. Late in the night, when the tears have slowed, Annie chokes out a horrible thought that has been consuming her for the last few hours.

"Is this because I didn't die at the right time?"

Finnick strokes her cheek, and shakes his head. "It's because of _her_. Because of Katniss," he whispers bitterly. Annie can see the anger building inside of Finnick, and she knows that they can't blame Katniss, can't blame the girl on fire, can't blame the girl who cried over the death of 12 year old Rue from District 11 whom they all knew was doomed from the start.

"Don't blame Katniss, Finnick. Don't you dare! I watched more of her games than any of the last four, and I know she's not the cause. President Snow is, he always is."

Finnick looks into her eyes, and he looks so scared for her that she knows, knows that he is already ready to fight and rebel, but that he never wanted this to happen until she was safe. She doesn't know details, and she doesn't want to know details, because she's too easy to break, so she puts her finger over his lips as they start to part.

"I know. I love you too."


	26. Chapter 26-23,24 (Part 2)

_23, 24_

The time between the Quarter Quell announcement and the Reaping day goes by too fast. Annie spends her days working on knots, and throwing knives at the tiny opening still visible in her dented crown. Her aim isn't there, but she works up to it. She likes the thunk of the knives against the piece of driftwood she's tacked the crown too, it keeps her steady. Her name is going to be pulled, she knows it. Mags is too old and Marina has never caused trouble, but she has, so she's going to be one of the victors punished. She has to protect whoever her partner is (she prays it's not Finnick), she has to die first this time, she can't have someone else on the shelf in her mind dedicated to Logan. Finnick is working out too, but when they eat dinner and relax in the evening, they each pretend that they're not doing anything of the sort. Finnick's voice returns to the velvet purr that has always made her roll her eyes (and smile too, much as she hates to admit it), and her laugh comes out like silver bells when he makes jokes. The night before the Reaping, she makes Finnick promise that he won't volunteer, if one of the two older men is picked. He begs her not to volunteer for Mags, and this request breaks her all over again. Finnick isn't supposed to choose her over Mags, she isn't even sure if she's a good enough person to volunteer in that situation, and besides, Mags' name has never been the one destined to be read again.

She's still crying when the day of the Reaping dawns, tears falling as she eats breakfast, as she gets dressed in a dress the same color as her sea-green eyes. Finnick kisses her hard on the lips before they leave her house, before the cameras come. Tears fall the entire walk to the stage in front of the justice hall, and tears keep falling as the camera focus on the stage and Delilah Curio steps up and speaks into the microphone. The people who have gathered are restless, so Delilah hurries over to the bowl that has three slips of paper in it containing three female names. When she announces Annie's, a fresh wave of sobs burst forth. As she stands up on shaky legs, Mags' voice volunteers as tribute, in the garbled speech that has become her habit since the stroke. Mags kisses her on the forehead and steps up next to Delilah, who scurries over to the bowl for the male tributes. As she calls out Finnick's name, Annie begins to hyperventilate through all of the sobbing. No one volunteers for Finnick though, and he steps up and kisses Mags' hand before giving a cheerful wave to the crowd. As peacekeepers surround him and begin to tug him away, clearly to the train, Annie's brain breaks free of the fog.

_Finnick is leaving. Finnick has been reaped. Again. Finnick is going back in the arena and I'm not there to save him. Finnick is going to die because I wouldn't die five years ago. Finnick is never going to kiss me again. I'm never going to hear his laugh, or see the way he shifts the lower half of his jaw when he's fighting back a laugh or a scream. I am never going to fall asleep in his arms again, and he is never going to get to lie down in a small sailboat and close his eyes and sleep peacefully in the rocking waves ever again. Finnick is going to die. Finnick is going to die. Finnick is going to die._

As he turns to leave, she begins to scream. Loud, shattering screams that startle everyone. She stands up and tries to run towards Finnick blindly, until arms surround her waist. She fights the arms and their owner, she keeps screaming, as more peacekeepers turn around to detain her and the newfound strength that her protective desire for Finnick has brought on. She sees him turn around, meets his blue green eyes, watches his lips curve into a sad smile, and then a needle is jammed into her arm, and everything goes black.


	27. Chapter 27-23,24 (Part 3)

_23, 24_

Annie doesn't fully wake for an entire week. When she does, she learns that Marina has been keeping her under the influence of morphling, and other heavy sedation drugs through all of it. The training scores, the recaps of old Games, the predictions and rampant speculation of the Capitol people, the interviews with Plutarch Heavensbee, she has missed it all. She is only awake now so that she can watch the final interviews. Cashmere and Gloss, Enobaria and Brutus, Beetee and Wiress, all of their interviews go past her head. She pays attention to Mags, who tells Caesar "I volunteered to earn more glory, obviously," in the clearest voice she can manage. And then Finnick is standing up and swooping in. Her heart stutters as he walks up in his handsome blue suit and greets Caesar as an old friend.

"Now Caesar, I hope you don't mind, but I've prepared something of my own to say."

"Ooh really? Now what could that be, Finnick?"

"A poem dedicated to my One True Love."

"Well, what do you say," Caesar looks at the crowd, "Should we let him recite his poem?" The crowd screams and demands it. Caesar beams and gestures to Finnick, who steps forward, clasps his hands behind his back, and begins to speak.

"Eyes as beautiful as yours

Should not be stained with tears

Don't weep my love,

For these lost years,

Think instead of the time

Together we spent,

Remember that every word

I've said was truly meant,

For you have the brightest smile

I've ever seen,

And your soul

I hold in the highest esteem.

The way your hair falls

Reminds me of waves on the beach,

And the heart I have given to

You will never be out of reach.

No one will ever compare

To my true love,

Whom I had hoped to make

Mrs. Odair."

Finnick pauses, and then he adds another two sentences to his speech_. "__My love, you have my heart for all eternity. If I die in that arena, my last thoughts will be of your lips."_

The crowd is crying, and people are fainting, all believing it to be about them. Annie is no longer focused on the screen though, she's looking over at Marina, who stops writing the poem Finnick has recited and is now looking at her like she's about to fall apart.

"Don't you dare sedate me again. I need to be awake. I need to be awake…until the end," Annie's demanding tone is interrupted by the catch in her throat when she realizes that "the end" could be interpreted as Finnick's death, or the end of this year's Games. Marina nods and hands over the poem, so Annie can run her fingers over the words Finnick came up with just for her. She counts the lines, notes the words that are used to make it rhyme. She stares intently at the screen, staring past the tributes being currently interviewed and holds on to the blue figure in the back that represents Finnick. She vaguely hears Johanna Mason's anger (_and remembers that Finnick and Johanna talk on the phone sometimes, because Johanna doesn't have anyone else_), she registers Katniss' face (_and hopes that Finnick has forgiven her_), she hears Peeta say that Katniss is pregnant (_is this a ploy, just as Finnick is convinced Katniss' affection is?_), but she doesn't focus until she sees the tributes all lock arms. They are holding hands, for just a brief second, before the feed cuts out and the television projects only black. As she looks at Marina, she can tell that they are both thinking the same thing.

What on earth have the tributes done?


	28. Chapter 28-23,24 (Part 4)

_23, 24_

As the pedestal rises into the arena, Finnick feels his heart slow down as a strange sense of calm washes over him. He's done this before. He can do it again. When he sees the water that surrounds his pedestal, the water that washes all the way to the cornucopia, he feels a grin emerge on his face. An arena filled with water? Plutarch Heavensbee has given him a distinct advantage. When the countdown finishes, he dives into the water and swims at a comfortable pace towards the cornucopia. As he emerges, he sees Katniss Everdeen, and his instinct is to grab the trident near him and throw it at her, until he remembers that he is one of the tributes expected to protect her in the arena, protect her until what Haymitch called "the extraction" happens. So he jokes with her, but he sees she still isn't convinced by his sincerity. So he flashes the bracelet that Haymitch had given him at her, watches her consternation as she realizes that Haymitch has ordered her to trust him. When he sees the drunk from District 5 approaching her from behind, he demands she duck, and then flings his trident, effectively killing the him. This, he sees has the desired effect, as she nods at him in trust, and they quickly divide to examine the things available, before heading off for Peeta and Mags.

Finnick swims to get Peeta, because he knows Katniss will struggle if she tries to carry him across the water, and Mags is swimming along at a leisurely pace towards Katniss, so he doesn't have to worry about her. As he and Peeta reach land, the four of them run off into the jungle. It isn't until Peeta's heart is stopped by the forcefield that Finnick realizes how much Katniss needs him, how essential Peeta is if they want Katniss to cooperate at all. So he pumps at his chest and breathes into his lungs until Peeta starts coughing, and then he lets the two of them cling to each other for as long as they need, as he remembers the way Annie's hand has always felt so reassuring when she's held on to his shoulder.

When they go to rest that night, he and Mags weave together a shelter out of vines while Katniss hunts and Peeta sits there, looking exhausted. After the parachute arrives and they still have no idea how to use the gift, he falls into an uneasy sleep that is broken when Katniss realizes that the gift is a spile from which they can harvest water from the trees. Finally, he quenches his thirst and takes first watch, until the 12 bells toll, and then he falls into a comfortable sleep while Katniss watches..

Katniss is yelling, so Finnick jumps up and grabs his weapons, expecting to see Enobaria and Brutus baring down on them. Instead, he sees the fog, and while he doesn't know what the fog does exactly, he can tell it's dangerous, so he swoops Mags up and puts her on his back, and he begins to run. The fog catches up to them again and again, and the poison starts to enter his body, his face becomes covered in scabs. He can tell that Peeta can't keep up, so he trades Katniss, Mags for Peeta, and continues on. Only Katniss can't seem to hold on to Mags anymore, and his arms are moving in an erratic pattern that prevents him from taking them both. Mags is looking at him, and he can see the decision in her eyes, and he's trying to choke out the words to stop her, but she reaches up and kisses his mouth closed, before turning around and walking straight into the fog. He body starts contorting in wild spasms on the ground, and he starts in after her, unable to bear the sight of her frail body moving like that, but then Katniss is pulling on his arm, and he realizes the cannon has gone off and there is nothing he can do but turn around and push on, honor the sacrifice she has just made. When his legs collapse, and he can't walk anymore, he lies there, face down on the jungle floor, and passes out.

He comes to when Katniss and Peeta have him in the water, as the poison seeps out of his body. Finally, he feels physically capable of moving and helping them with the process of healing him, so Peeta goes into the jungle and begins tapping a tree for water. It isn't until he notices how unnaturally still Katniss has become that he turns around and sees the monkeys. He prays that Peeta will get out of the jungle without starting the monkeys into action, but of course that is too much to hope for in the Games, and he is forced into a gruesome fight with primates. The killing becomes routine, as Finnick blocks out everything but the need to survive. Eventually, the monkeys all scamper away, and he turns to see Peeta holding the morphling from District 6 as she dies in the water. When it becomes clear that Katniss and Peeta need to sleep, he insists that he take watch. And once they're both firmly asleep, he feels tears fall down his face. He looks to the sky and cries as he remembers Mags, and the ten years he has spent with her. He knew that her survival was unlikely in these games, knew that she knew that too, but that doesn't make it any easier. As the sun rises and Katniss wakes up, another parachute comes to them, this time filled with medicine that soothes the itching caused by the scabs from the poison fog.

Remembering Mags and her sense of humor, he suggests that the two of them wake Peeta up together and scare him with their grotesque faces. Peeta's reaction is better than he imagined it could be, so he and Katniss begin to laugh, and he is brought back to another time where he laughed uncontrollably on the sand. Bread is delivered in another parachute, and he runs his hands over it, counting, knowing that this is code for when they will be extracted.

The sight of Johanna delights him, and he runs to her, although he notices Katniss and Peeta are slow to follow. She's brought Beetee and Wiress with her, and Finnick knows this is because Katniss wanted them, and Haymitch had included them in the plan to keep his two tributes alive. Mags, Seeder, Cecilia, Woof, and both the morphlings are dead, so it's up to he and Johanna to protect them, while also keeping Nuts and Volts alive. Chaff is out there somewhere too, he supposes, but he can only focus on the people he has with him now. Wiress is muttering and Johanna, who has never had a lot of patience to begin with, snaps at her. This angers Katniss, so Finnick grabs Johanna before a cat fight erupts, and dunks her repeatedly in the water. He refuses to stop dunking her until she has stopped screaming profanities and threatening Katniss' life, at which point she gives him a pointed glare and then strides off across the beach. They work to heal Beetee, and then Katniss realizes what Wiress has been saying all along, that the arena is a clock. Finnick feels some relief, knowing what they're up against is half the battle, or so Mags used to say. At the cornucopia, they try to figure out the different sections, only to have to fend off an attack from the Careers and then be completely discombobulated.

They're back on the beach, headed toward the jungle, when he hears a scream. Katniss turns white and sprints towards the screaming voice, and he sprints after her, determined to keep her safe. It isn't until the screams stop that he catches up to her, and he's trying to talk to her when he hears Annie's voice. She is screaming his name, screaming for her brothers, screaming for help, and he can't get to her fast enough. When he's in the clearing where her screams originate, he's caught desperately running in a circle, searching for her, for the people who are hurting her, anything. It isn't until Katniss is holding out a dead bird to him that he realizes that the screams were coming from a mockingjay, but even that doesn't comfort him. Mockingjays mimic, and they got those screams from somewhere. Defeated, he drags Katniss back to the beach, only to find that they are walled in. As bird after bird lands and begins the screaming cacophony, Finnick sinks to the floor and covers his ears.

What had they done to her? Why had they done anything to her? They all thought she was still mad, they had to know that he hadn't shared anything with her about the building rebellion. His eyes grow wet with tears as her screams fill his ears. He can't think; he can only lie there, shaking.

When the screams end, it takes a few minutes for Finnick to come to himself again. And then he's hearing Peeta, who is trying to convince Katniss that the screams weren't real, that the gamemakers had distorted the voices. He clings to Peeta's convincing words and turns to Beetee, desperately asks if such a thing is possible. When Beetee confirms that it is, and begins to talk about how easy it is, Finnick feels a wave of relief-she is still alright, she's fine, she's alive-but then he feels sick. What kind of government condoned such behavior? Who thinks of these things, of torturing people with the screams of their loved ones?

He's still thinking about this when he realizes that Beetee has proposed a plan of sorts. He's barely heard it, so he looks to Johanna, waits until she agrees, to agree himself. Beetee goes over things again, in more detail, and Finnick begins to understand things. The rest of the day passes by in a fog, and he does what he needs to in order to survive, but he's still distracted, he can still hear the echoes of Annie's screams. More bread arrives and he runs his hands over it and counts it again. He sees Katniss is looking at him queerly, but he doesn't care, he needs to know the time.

That night, their plan goes to hell. He's sprinting through the forest, looking for Katniss, shouting her name, when the lightning strikes. And suddenly the forcefield surrounding the arena is collapsing, and fires are starting everywhere, and then a hovercraft appears over his head, and he's being lifted up and carried inside. He is laid on a bed, and a needle is put into his arm so he passes out.

When he comes to, he goes in search of Haymitch and Plutarch. When he learns that Annie has been left to the Capitol, that they were "barely able to rescue Katniss and Beetee and himself," he doesn't respond rationally. He pounds his fist against the table and then jumps up to attack Plutarch directly. Haymitch holds him back until he calms down. And then, a few minutes later, they have to go through the same process as Katniss realizes that Peeta has been captured too. And Finnick says to her, in a voice that is steady only in grief, that they will keep Peeta alive, just as bait for her, that Johanna was removing her tracker, not attacking. _Annie is being used in the same way_, he thinks, feeling numb. _Oh what are they doing to her?_


	29. Chapter 29-23,24 (Part 5)

_23, 24_

Annie watches the Games, and for the first time since her own, she doesn't flashback to her own experience in the arena. She is alert. Finnick survives the bloodbath, and she breathes a sigh of relief before falling asleep in front of the television.

The next day, they show Mags' death, they show Finnick being revived. Annie feels tears trickle down her cheeks, and she's whispering _thank you_ to the heavens, thanking Mags for protecting Finnick to the very end.

She watches as Finnick, Katniss, and Peeta team up with Johanna, Beetee, and Wiress. She watches as Finnick survives another attack. And then the queerest thing happens. She hears her own screaming. She lifts a hand to her mouth, feels that her lips are closed, and turns to Marina, who is looking just as bewildered. Finnick is running through the jungle screaming her name, and she realizes that he can hear her screams too. And then Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith are both pointing at a bird in a tree, and she realizes that mockingjays are being used against Finnick, that the Mockingjays are mimicking her voice and screaming for her.

The realization that she is being used against Finnick, that he thinks she is being tortured somewhere and that the fear he feels for her has crippled him so extremely, causes her to start shaking. She's crying and trying to tell him that she's fine, she's still at home, trying to communicate with him through the screen. Marina approaches with a needle, but Annie grabs a decorative pot from the table and throws it, knocking the needle from Marina's hands.

"I have to be awake. I have to be awake for him!" she screams, and Marina nods and resumes sitting in the spot she has claimed on Annie's couch for her own. Annie sits back on the couch herself, trembling until the birds have stopped screaming her name and Finnick is free again. She watches carefully as the hours drag on, as Beetee plots to electrocute the other tributes, and Annie is praying that Finnick knows to run as soon as the Careers have been taken care of, because the alliance he has formed will be forced to break then.

As the time ticks down, pandemonium breaks lose in the arena. Finnick runs off to find Johanna and Katniss, Johanna attacks Katniss pre-emptively, as Enobaria and Brutus give chase to Johanna, Brutus then stabs Beetee and kills Chaff, only to be killed by Peeta. And then the arena itself seems to be exploding, as a barely-alive Katniss reaches Beetee. Finnick is still alive, but Annie doesn't know for how long-and then there's a knock on her door. Before she or Marina can answer it, peacekeepers swarm in. They overwhelm both Annie and Marina, and drag them to a hovercraft, where the other two victors from District 4 are waiting. They are sedated (after a brief fight), and when Annie wakes up, she is in a brightly lit room, surrounded by other people.

Opening her eyes and sitting up, she sees Marina is still knocked out next to her, and she begins to count. Only to be distracted by the face of Peeta-what is he doing here? Looking around, she begins to realize that the room is filled with victors. After counting, she finds there are 34 of them locked in here. 18 died in these latest games, and she can't find Finnick, Beetee or Katniss (_they aren't dead, she knows they aren't dead_). That leaves 4 of the 59 victors still alive at the beginning of this year still left unaccounted for…Annie thinks of Haymitch, the drunk who had patted her on the back after her interview before her Games…there's Lyme, the disgruntled older woman Mags had been such good friends with…the man from 11 who particularly resented Finnick for killing one of the tributes he mentored isn't here either…and finally, she places the last missing face, Hanni Bale, the vicious girl from 1 who killed half of the tribute pool in her year by beating them over the head with a rock she named the phantom. Other than those four, and the three from the arena, everyone is here. More and more of them seem to realize that the room is filled with victors, and only victors, and alliances begin to form, just like in the arena.

Everyone from Districts 1 and 2 takes over one half of the room, while the rest of them gather on the right. A few victors, so wasted away by drink or morphling, lie on the floor where they woke up, and refuse to move. Everyone leaves them mostly alone. Annie makes sure Marina is watching the older victors from 4, and then goes after Johanna Mason, hoping that she can shed some light on what happened in the arena. Johanna is angry, and tries to brush her off, but Annie grabs her arm (the one she throws axes with) and twists it hard.

"Tell. Me." She hisses in Johanna's ear.

"Finnick was alive the last time I saw him. He's not here, and neither is Katniss, so they're either being tortured specially or they got away. Let go!" Johanna yanks her arm away from Annie and walks away, leaving Annie to think about the words. "Got away?" Annie is puzzled by that one, until she realizes Johanna must have known about a greater escape plan. She thinks of the way Finnick ran his hands over the bread delivered in the arena, and the way she wondered what he was doing, having never seen such behavior again. _Of course. There was an escape plan_. There was a plan all along…for the girl on fire, the type of girl who could be the face of a rebellion…Finnick had known all along, had protected her from the knowledge as best he could, but she had known he was up to something. _He's been looking for a way out for years, and now he's found it._

With this knowledge safe and secure in her head, she goes back to Marina and sits next to her, sits quietly on the ground and stares off into space. The Capitol already thinks she's mad, all she has to do is keep playing up the broken parts of her. They wait in the room for hours, hours and hours. There's no food, no water, and Annie has a sick feeling that a few people are going to die in this room if they aren't attended to soon.

The first, an old man, dies during what has to be the morning. He's been moaning for water, and finally a woman from District 1 or 2 had grabbed him and slammed his head into a wall. There are a few cries of surprise, but everyone in this room won the Games, everyone knows how it works, and how short the leash is for the Careers. Another three are dead by evening, and the strongest remaining victors are all eyeing each other warily.

When the only door to the room is opened, a few people rush to it, desperate to escape. However, a wall of peacekeepers marches in, and the man at the front orders them all to line up against the back wall. Everyone complies, except for two morphlings who can't seem to get up from the floor. These two are shot immediately, and their bodies are dragged back out the door. Now, the man comes up and examines each of them. He reviews the first two people and moves on, but he drags the third to the middle of the room, where the man is instructed to sit. When he examines Annie, she forces her eyes to go out of focus, to look at the space just beyond his left ear. Another man steps up behind him and whispers "not this one" so he gives a grunt and moves past her. By the time he's done, 14 people are sitting in the middle of the room, including one of the older victors from District 4. Annie watches as all 14 are executed, wincing with each shot. And then half of the peacekeepers leave, dragging the bodies with them, while the other half remain stationed on the wall opposite the 14 remaining victors.

Just like in the arena, Annie is counting, keeping track of who is still alive and who isn't. Johanna, Peeta, and Enobaria, the three who came from the arena, are all still here. She and Marina, and Marlon are the only ones left from District 4. There are 2 people left from District 1, another man from 2, and the other five each come from a different District (3,5,6,8,10). The sit there in silence for several hours, and then more peacekeepers arrive. A man from District 1, the man from 2, and Marlon are all executed. The remaining 11 of them are escorted out, and each led to an individual cell.


	30. Chapter 30-23,24 (Part 6)

_23, 24_

Finnick doesn't like 13. He hates the fact there's no water, and he hates the fact that it's underground. He dislikes the way the doctors keep him as a patient in the hospital. The worst thing about District 13 though, is the fact that Annie isn't here, and no one seems particularly inclined to rescue her. Katniss is struggling too, and she lashes out at him. He knows that she doesn't really mean it, but he already cries enough as it is, so he resents her for making things worse for him.

He doesn't realize quite how useless District 13 thinks he is until he realizes that they aren't going to let him go and fight in District 2 with Katniss. He runs to her, feeling frantic, as if he's going to explode if they don't let him out of here. When she tells him that Beetee has created a new trident for him, that he needs to practice with it before they unleash him on the Capitol, he feels relieved, and turns to rush to Beetee. And when Katniss points out that he isn't wearing any pants, that he's still in his hospital gown, he is struck by the sudden urge to make a joke. So he whips his gown off, thrusts his hips forward, and asks if she finds his current state of undress distracting. Katniss laughs, and the man who's with her raises his eyebrows, and then they continue on.

When Finnick approaches Beetee, he is handed a beautiful trident. It's sleek and black, and it responds to his voice. Beetee explains that with a few simple commands, he can send an electrical current through the tines that will electrocute any victims. He can set it up so that the trident returns to his hand after throwing it, or that the tips of the tines release a poison. It's an amazing weapon, and Finnick begins to practice with it. Working with his trident is the only thing that calms him besides tying knots in his short length of rope over and over again.

Katniss continues to break, and finally she realizes what they're using Peeta for, how President Snow is using him to hold against her. So now it's up to Finnick to make a propo, to take on the burden that Katniss has been bearing since she chose to be the Mockingjay, to distract the Capitol as a rescue team goes in to try and save Annie and Peeta. He sits in front of the camera, and he begins to talk about all the things President Snow has forced him to do. And then he starts to talk about all of the secrets he's learned, all of the information he's collected about people in the Capitol. He's praying that they won't take his actions and use them to punish Annie, but at the same time, he knows that he has to do this. Annie has been forced to suffer just as he has, and it's his job to make sure that no one ever goes through the things he's had to again, that the rebellion succeeds. So he reveals it all, everything but the secrets that belong to Annie, because he knows that he doesn't have any right to talk about what President Snow did to her brothers and to her father. He keeps those secrets inside, and uses the anger he feels about them to fuel him, to keep him going as he keeps talking. And eventually, he finishes, he says "cut."


	31. Chapter 31-23,24 (Part 7)

_A/N: This is probably my most graphic, non-canon chapter. Just a little warning!_

_23, 24_

Annie' s room is small and almost bare. There's the chain she's manacled to, that attaches to the wall and doesn't let her get within three feet of the door. And there's the block of cement that she thinks is meant to be a bed, or a torturing rack. Despite all of the concrete, she can hear the screams around her. When they were led to their cells, she saw that Peeta and Johanna were at the end of her cell block. She was next to Johanna, and Marina was on her other side. Across the hall, the woman from 3, the man from 8, Enobaria, and the man from 6 were all housed. She isn't sure where the woman from 5, the woman from 1, and the man from 10 are being held, but she has a feeling they aren't as important. Peeta and Johanna most likely have information. The Capitol must think Marina has information too (_does she_?) and Annie figures that she is being held in an attempt to control Finnick. Enobaria was in the latest games, so Annie figures the Capitol wants to make sure she had nothing to do with the breakout before letting her go. The other 3 districts must be in rebellion, for their victors to be chained up in this cell block. Annie calculates all of these things, goes through them over and over in her mind, as she covers her ears to avoid the screaming. She hears more and more of it, and thinks it must be a cruel twist of irony that she who has probably screamed more than the rest of them combined is now silent. She's sure they'll get around to torturing her eventually, but she also thinks that this in itself is its own form of torture. She's mad, they all think she's mad, and the disembodied screams aren't exactly doing anything to heal her psyche.

Annie calculates that she's being fed once a day. She's given a half a gallon of water a day, just enough to keep her alive and aware, but not enough for her to ever feel hydrated. She's eaten 33 meals before they come in for her. Two peacekeepers, and a man with peacock feathers tattooed around his eyes enter her cell. She is unchained from the wall, and they walk her next door. Marina has been screaming for the last 10 days or so, and Annie is immediately able to see why. She's missing a few fingers, and half of her toes. Her body twitches randomly, and her face looks like a slab of meat. One eye is barely dangling from the socket, and Annie feels a horrible urge to vomit, but instead she smiles, and rushes to Marina. She hugs her, tries to arrange what is left of her hair in a presentable fashion.

"Annie?"

"It's me, it's me, Marina, you're going to be okay," Annie whispers.

"Have they hurt you too? You look…fine…"

Annie is ashamed, and she shakes her head, unable to speak. The peacekeepers approach her now, and roughly push her and her chain towards another manacle on Marina's wall. And when she's sitting there, that's when they begin to torture Marina.

"Where did Finnick Odair go?" As Marina begins to cry, begins to say she has no idea, they burn some of the flesh on her stomach.

"What did Plutarch Heavensbee have to do with the escape?" More protestations, more burning.

"Who have you conspired with against the Capitol?" Screams now accompany the acrid smell of burning flesh.

"Where are the rebels hiding in District 4?" On and on, the questions keep coming, and Marina can answer none of them. Annie is fighting against her chain, crying, pleading with them to stop, but they keep it up until Marina passes out. They repeat this process for 14 days, and then they leave some water, and Annie estimates it takes Marina another two days to mercifully die.

The peacekeepers come back, strip her from her blood-stained clothes, and escort her out. As she's taken back to her own cell, Annie hears the sound of two gunshots. The peacekeepers laugh.

"I guess they finally got rid of 10 and 5."

She's in her cell for another 15 days before they come for her again. They take her across the hall this time (_still naked_), and they shove her through the door only to slam it closed again. She walks slowly over to the slab in the center of the room, where a person is laying down. She gets close enough, and begins to say something, only for the person to leap up and attempt to throttle her. Annie backs up quickly, and instinctively swings her leg so that the chain attached slams into the mutilated chest. Too late, she realizes that what's left of this person is chained to the slab, can only walk a foot or two past it. He or she (Annie honestly can't tell) falls back against the stone and moans.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a prisoner here too. What's your name?" The other person doesn't make a sound, doesn't move. Hours later, she hears a husky voice.

"My name is…Crylic. District 1."

"My name is Annie. Distrist 4."

That's the extent of their communication for another few hours, until Crylic makes a choking noise. Annie is immediately alert.

"Please…kill…please…" Crylic is coughing now, and Annie knows with a sinking heart that she wants her to kill her. To make it all stop. She's sworn to never kill again, but how can she refuse? She approaches slowly, and makes eye contact with two brown eyes. She stares into those eyes, keeps looking at them, even as presses her hands against his windpipe. Crylic kicks out, her body's last struggles as she dies. When she removes her hands, Crylic's body falls to the ground. Annie huddles next to her on the ground, flashing back to Logan, to the other three people she has killed, to the Games.

A few hours later, the door opens, and peacekeepers drag her out and back to her cell. This time, someone is in there, waiting for her. She recognizes the man from 8 by the tuft of red hair that's still left on his head. They strap Annie to the slab of stone, and they bring in some electrodes and a machine. Annie is hooked up, and then the two of them are left alone.

"I'm sorry…they'll kill my kids…I'm sorry," the man from 8 is whispering, even as he presses the button that send a shock of electricity screaming though her body. The shocks continue until she passes out, and when she comes to, the man from 8 is gone. He's back soon though, and she endures another session of painful electric shocks. Annie loses track of the days, loses them in a haze of electric pain. And then one day, she realizes that her restraints are loose. This time, she is the one who apologizes, just before bursting upwards and taking him down. He's crying, but he's also still trying to shock her, so she continues to fight him, until she's able to slam his head against the stone slab where she sleeps.

Annie starts to tremble and shake, as she realizes that she's been reduced to killing people again. She's screaming now, screaming at the Capitol for doing this to her, for doing this to Finnick, for being so controlling. And then she realizes that this is exactly why Finnick has rebelled. It's not a particularly happy thought, but it's something she can cling to.

_A/N: So this is my take on what I think happened to Annie in the Capitol. If you're interested, I'll keep explaining why I believe this is sort of what happened to her. First, I know a number of people think that President Snow had her raped-that maybe that's why she's in a sheet when she finally meets up with him. The thing is, President Snow used the desirable victors for prostitutes when he was still doing his best to try and subdue and manipulate the Capitol population. At this point though, there is a pretty serious war going on. And Annie Cresta isn't a desirable victor who could "take their minds off of politics," because everyone thinks she's crazy. So while it's certainly possible that peacekeepers or other jailers could have raped her while she was imprisoned, I don't think that was the primary method of torture. If you look at Annie's history (canon), she went insane after seeing her district partner, someone she cared about, beheaded. So what better way to torture her than to show her other people's pain, when she can either a) do nothing for them or b) only offer them death as a reprieve? Snow knows that she doesn't know anything, and when she is back in 13, she doesn't have to see any extra doctors or anything-in other words she's not any "crazier" than she was before. I don't think as much effort would have been spent on torturing her, due to her obvious lack of knowledge-either she was left alone, or watching someone else suffer. Eventually, the bored tormentors would have started to torture her physically, but I don't think it would have lasted long enough to cause any more damage, because she would have been rescued, Peeta's highjacked state would have been "ready."_


	32. Chapter 32-23,24 (Part 8)

_23, 24_

When Katniss tells Finnick more about the rescue plan, he feels such elation. He can tell that she doesn't share his enthusiasm, so he tries to explain that either way, at the end of the day, things will be decided. Annie and Peeta will either be here in District 13 and safe, or they'll be dead and safe from further harm from President Snow. He can tell that Katniss still doesn't feel the same way; that she's too terrified to realize that Peeta is better off dead than he is in Snow's hands.

_Annie has been alone for a couple of days now (_at least she thinks it's been a couple of days_), and she's feeling calm for the first time since she had to kill the man from 8, but still, she's imprisoned. She doesn't know how much longer she can stand being in here, she doesn't know how much longer she can last until she truly goes crazy and can't recover. She can feel the scary thoughts, the wishes for death creeping in, so she tries to remember everything Finnick has ever said that's made her smile, tries to make a list of every happy moment she's ever had._

Still, Katniss' anxiety is a bit contagious, and Finnick begins to tie knot after knot, to grow more agitated. He's praying that Annie is rescued safely, that in a few hours she'll be back where she belongs, in his arms. Katniss is pacing beside him, and they're avoiding each other's eyes as the hours pass.

_Annie hears the door to her cell start to open, and instinctively retreats to the back wall. A single peacekeeper is there, and he enters her cell and unchains her from the wall, hands her a sheet which she immediately fashions around herself as some semblance of a garment. She's rushed out of the room, and she's thinking that this is a bit strange, when she sees that two more peacekeepers are in the hallway, and that one has Peeta slung over his shoulder and another has Johanna cradled in his arms. Instinctively, she realizes that this is a rescue mission, but she's been so badly damaged that she doesn't quite trust her instincts. It isn't until she's been ushered into a hovercraft, and the manacle and chain have been removed from her ankle that she realizes that this is real, that she's being rescued. A kind man is explaining to her that they're heading to District 13, that Finnick is there waiting for her, that the Capitol is done torturing her. She nods and feels some relief, but she's on edge for the entire ride in the hovercraft, terrified that they will be shot from the sky or intercepted by the Capitol. It isn't until they land in the underground bunker that she realizes she's safe and she stops shaking._

"They're back!" a voice shouts, alerting Finnick and Katniss that the rescue team has returned. Finnick jumps to his feet, and drops his rope, his eyes wide. A few seconds later Johanna Mason is rushed past him on a gurney, her head shaved, her body emaciated, a million different tubes attached to her. Finnick feels a moment's sympathy for Johanna, but he's too worried about Annie.

_Annie is escorted down to the level where Finnick is waiting. She feels excited, but anxious too-is Finnick okay? Why wasn't he a part of the rescue team? He's always been so proactive, is he alright? She's led through door after door, and her patience is wearing thin, but then she's led through a final door and her escort lets go of her arm._

Finnick sees the door open, sees Annie emerge. She looks a thinner than normal, and her hair is a little bit limp, but when their eyes meet, hers are still the brilliant green-blue he has loved so much for all these years. "Annie!" he shouts.

_Annie sees Finnick's broad shoulders first, and then she looks up at his face. His hair is the same bronzed blonde, his skin isn't quite as tan as normal, but his eyes are twinkling with that impossibly blue-green color that's always astounded her. "Finnick!" she shrieks._

**And suddenly, it's as if there's no one in the world but these two, crashing through space to reach each other. They collide, enfold, lose their balance, and slam against a wall, where they stay. Clinging into one being. Indivisible.**

_A/N: I decided to just use Collins' words to describe the two of them reuniting-they're so simple and elegant, but they convey so much at the same time, and I didn't think I could do any better._


	33. Chapter 33-23,24 (Part 9)

_23, 24_

Finnick isn't sure how long he and Annie hold each other, how long it takes for them to break apart a single centimeter, but he doesn't really care. All he knows is that she's _here_, and she's _alive_, and she's _his_. At some point they slowly separate, and he looks her over more carefully. There are some circles under her eyes, and there's a faint bruise on the left side of her jaw, but her eyes are focused on him and he can tell she's right there with him. So he holds her hand and they walk back to his compartment.

At the sight of his bed, Annie lets out a happy sigh, and then lays down, dragging him on top of her. He kisses her, slowly now, because they have time, all the time in the world. She's kissing him back, and he's running his hands down her sides, when she suddenly jerks away from his touch. Startled, he stops kissing her and looks down in concern, and he can see the avoidance in her eyes as she leans up and tries to keep kissing him. He gives in, just for a second (_because this is Annie and kissing her is the sweetest thing he knows_), but then he pulls back and gives her a stern look. She hesitates and then sits up and strips the sheet from her body. He sees the marks on her stomach, and the few on her arms, and when she curls up self-consciously, he sees the deep purple bruise that surrounds her ankle.

"What…what are those marks from?" he asks her in a hoarse voice. She looks down and rubs at the bruise around her ankle.

"Electrical burns, from the shock currents. And my ankle…they had me chained to the wall most of the time."

"Tell me…tell me everything they put you through," Finnick grits his teeth. Annie smiles up to him, and brushes a long strand of hair back from his eyes. She kisses him, murmurs "not now, please, not now," and he gives in and loses himself in her arms. When they're done, she falls asleep, and he watches her breathe.

He's finally fallen asleep himself, when suddenly a scream startles him awake. Annie is covering her mouth, and he can tell she's upset that she woke him up. He knows that it's time now, so he asks her again, and this time she goes through everything she remembers. She's so upset, and still foggy from sleep, so she can't always tell what was real and what wasn't, but he helps her sort through things as much as possible. By the end of her story, he's so impressed with her, so proud of her for not completely losing it (_especially when she's never been the same since the Games_), that he tells her, and she gives a half-hearted laugh.

"Most people think I'm crazy. I'm not sure you should be congratulating me for 'staying together,' Finnick."

"I know you're not crazy. And I'd be proud of you even if you were."


	34. Chapter 34-23,24 (Part 10)

_23, 24_

They're issued a bigger compartment, and Plutarch Heavensbee suggests that they get married, that their wedding be filmed for another propo. Annie and Finnick both agree to his face, but when they're on their way to lunch, Finnick stops suddenly.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Get married? You don't have to if you really don't want to." Annie turns around and laughs at him a little. "Finnick, it's not like I'm going to marry anybody else. Although, I can see why you might feel anxious, considering you didn't ask me properly or anything."

Finnick looks at her and sees that she's teasing him, but she's also giving him a bit of a hint. He supposes it's not very romantic to get married just because someone else has suggested it, so he drops to one knee, grasps her hand.

"Annie Isabel Cresta, will you please marry me?"

"I've always liked the ring of Annie Odair," she gives him a crooked smile. He jumps to his feet, lifts her in the air, swings her around and around until they're both laughing. And by the time he puts her back on the ground, they don't need to say anything else.

Katniss volunteers to let Annie wear one of the dresses Cinna designed for her wedding, and that's how Annie finds herself in a hovercraft with Katniss on their way to District 12. She's a bit intimidated by Katniss, (Katniss isn't particularly warm), but she's excited nonetheless to pick out a gown. When they arrive in the Victors Village in 12, Annie is surprised by how different it is from the Victors Village in 4, but she follows Katniss into her home without a comment.

Katniss lays several white gowns out, and they're all beautiful, but none of them seem quite right…

"Do you have anything in blue?" she asks softly. Katniss nods and goes to her wardrobe, from which she pulls out three different blue dresses. Annie runs her hands over each of them, and then chooses the second one, and holds it up against her body. Katniss nods slightly and then goes off to collect a few other things. Annie continues to look at the dress, which is a cerulean blue, with green jewels adorning the single strap the goes from the middle of the front, over the right shoulder, to the middle of the back. There are a few folds of fabric so that when the dress hangs from her figure, it will look artful, not lazy. It's a simple dress, and she has a feeling Plutarch will complain that it's too simple, but she doesn't care. If things had gone differently, she would be marrying Finnick in District 4, wearing a simple blue dress there, and she doesn't want to change too much about that ceremony they might have had. So she heads back to the hovercraft, where she begins to talk to Plutarch about having a wedding net made, and where he begins to fuss over the dress, insisting that the prep team will have to make adjustments so that the dress will fit her perfectly, not Katniss.

They get married. Sure, it's underground, but the wedding song comparing marriage to a sea voyage is still being sung (_not that either of them hear it_), a thin gold net still wraps around them and connects them to each other (_it's too shiny, not one of the nets that would be of use in District 4_), and there's seawater. She spreads it across Finnick's lips, and he across hers, and they each say "the spirit of the sea I give to thee, my one true love, with whom I'm now bound eternally" while doing so. And then they undo the knot that has been tied between them, and it's moved so now it's tied around them, and they kiss, and now it is official, they're really married. Annie dances with Finnick, who's in a handsome dark blue suit, for the rest of the night. When they finally leave the room to go to their new compartment, a shower of confetti sprays over them both (_one indulgence from District 13_); and Annie feels as light as she always did when she floated in the ocean.


	35. Chapter 35-23,24 (Part 11)

_23, 24_

Finnick doesn't let go of Annie's hand unless he's practicing with the trident Beetee made for him. Otherwise, he's holding her hand, walking with her, showing her around District 13. When they're in their compartment the two of them tell each other all of the secrets they've kept hidden until now. Annie sleeps through the night for the first time a week after their wedding, and Finnick has this sense that she's coming back to him. From what he can tell, the rebellion is going well, so he begins to dream of a world where he and Annie would be free to live the rest of their days on a beach. A quiet life, after all they've been through, sounds like the perfect happy ending to him.

Annie still has trouble trusting other people, so most of the time she lets her face rest in a state of bewildered bliss. The doctor who she sees about all of her problems tries to tell her to engage in the world, but she can only handle it for so long at one time. Finnick seems to understand this aspect of her at least, just like she understands his compulsive need to train, because he's always been a person of action.

They're at lunch one day, eating with Katniss, when Peeta appears with two guards. Otherwise unfettered, he slides onto the bench next to Katniss. They're all startled by his appearance, and silenced by his decision to sit with them. When Johanna steps up and sits in between Peeta and Katniss, when she says the words "Peeta and I had adjoining cells in the capitol. We're very familiar with each other's screams," Annie is transported back to her cell, back to the screams that surrounded her. She's covering her ears, and closing her eyes, and then Finnick's warm hand is around her shoulder and he's turning her around. She opens her eyes and allows herself to drown in his blue-green irises. Her hands drop from her ears, and the hand on her shoulder slips to her waist and entwines in her own. Finnick is glaring at Johanna now, so Johanna shrugs her way through an apology, and then it's silent for a minute or two. Eventually, conversation starts up again, even if it's a bit stilted. She and Finnick eat quietly, holding hands on her right hip.

It's when they're getting up that Peeta speaks up. "You be nice to her, Finnick. Or I might try and take her away from you."

Annie is startled, but Finnick is getting a look in his eye that tells her that he wants to stab Peeta with his new trident. She doesn't want there to be a conflict or any sort of altercation, (_Peeta still isn't himself_), so she squeezes Finnick's hand. He turns just enough so he can look her in the eyes, and she forces her brow to unfurl, her eyes to relax from widening. (_I love you._) The muscle in Finnick's jaw loosens, and he turns back to respond in a deceivingly light tone. "Oh, Peeta. Don't make me sorry I restarted your heart."

They walk back to their compartment in silence, but Finnick is squeezing her hand as tightly as he can, and the muscle in his jaw is twitching, so she knows he's not okay. As soon as they're back, he turns to face her and kisses her hard. She kisses him back, but she's trying to calm him down too, so she moves her hands to his face until his kiss slows down. Eventually he pulls back, just barely, and rests his forehead against hers.

"Why would he say that?" The words fall softly from his lips, but there's a note of desperation in there as well. Annie might have trouble focusing around other people, but with Finnick the words seem so much easier.

"I don't know. He's had so much taken from him-his own mind, his own memories, his love for Katniss. Maybe he's just lashing out, trying to get us to understand just how robbed he feels. The only thing that kept me together was the thought of you, but the Capitol took even that from him."

"I know, I know, you're right. I just…he made me so angry…"

"Wild horses couldn't drag me away from you," Annie whispers back. Finnick gives her a slightly puzzled look, and Annie tries to think, wonders where that phrase came from. A giddy laugh escapes Finnick's mouth, and he swoops his arm under her knees to cradle her to his chest. As he walks towards their bed, he tells her "the first time you spoke to me, you surprised me then too. It seems to be a habit of yours."


	36. Chapter 36-23,24 (Part 12)

_23, 24_

Finnick is dreading this conversation. He's going out into the world, he's going to be fighting for the rebellion (even if it is in a more limited fashion), but he's going to be away from Annie. He's not sure how she's going to handle this, and he's not sure what he can say to make it okay, but he knows that he has to do this; he can't just sit idle any longer.

When he opens the compartment door, Annie is sitting on their bed, warily eyeing the schedule that has been inked onto her arm. "Annie?" he asks softly. She looks up, and her face brightens into a smile, just for a moment. Then she seems to notice the way he's hunched his shoulders and biting his lip.

"What is it, Finnick?" she asks, standing up and striding towards him. Haltingly, he begins to tell her that he's been assigned to a fighting squad, that he's going to be fighting now, that he won't be here, for a little while at least. Her eyes darken, and she straightens her spine, insisting that she needs to go with him, that they'll fight together. Finnick's heart is breaking, but at the same time he feels an overwhelming sense of pride, that this broken woman in front of him is so determined to fight, even though she's so scarred and battered. So he pulls her into his chest and hugs her tight, while explaining that she can't go, that she hasn't been trained, that she doesn't have to worry about him, that he'll be back before she knows it. Finally she looks up at him and says something that breaks his heart all over again.

"Finnick, between the two of us, we've been forced to participate in three Hunger Games. The odds have never been in our favor, and they certainly aren't in yours if you go,"

"Annie…"

"I know you have to go. I know you, Finnick. I don't want you to, but I know you need to."

They stare into each other's eyes for a few minutes, blinking back tears, and then they're kissing each other with the type of desperation only two people who have struggled to survive as much as they have can muster.

In the morning, they eat breakfast together in the same sort of silence they used to exist in at the beach. Annie walks him all the way to the station where the hovercraft is waiting to deliver both he and his unit to their location. He turns to her, and he doesn't know what to say-words seem so inadequate right now, as he heads off into a war that he can't guarantee he'll return from. Annie seems to be struggling to find the right words too, so they just stand there and look at each other, holding hands, as the minutes tick by.

Finally, Boggs is calling for Finnick, telling him it's time to board the hovercraft. He kisses Annie, in the same brief way she kissed him before he headed off to his first Games. He says "I love you," and she says "I love you too," and then he forces himself to turn around, to walk with his head held high, all the way inside of the hovercraft. He peers out one of the windows, and sees Annie is still standing there. He watches her until she's out of sight.


	37. Chapter 37-23,24 (Part 13)

_23, 24_

They all land on a street that's of little consequence but will look nice for propos. Finnick is still thinking about Annie, about the way she seemed to think that they would never see each other again. _I'm not going to die unless I have to_ he thinks to himself. When Peeta is delivered to their unit, free of guards and armed with a gun, he doesn't say anything, but privately agrees with Katniss and Boggs that President Coin has sent Peeta here to "accidentally" cause Katniss' death. At the same time, he's seen how madness can affect people, and how hard it is to be trapped in your own head, so when he hears Peeta becoming agitated, he tells Peeta to just ask them when he's confused, just like Annie does.

Soon enough, they're playing "Real or Not Real," and Finnick is starting to gain some hope that Peeta will come back to himself soon enough, that maybe spending time with Katniss is just what he needs to recover. Then the holo is wrong when it comes to one of the pods, and Leeg 1 is killed with a dart directly to the brain. The next time the holo is wrong, Boggs activates a bomb that blows his legs off. Finnick is thrown back into the arena, enters the mode that kept him alive for 23 days in the world's deadliest game. Peeta goes into his hijacked mode, kicks Mitchell into the street where he dies at the release of another pod. They all make it into a house, and Finnick begins to think that maybe Annie was right to worry for him.

The television is turned on, and they learn that they've all been declared dead. Finnick's breathing is erratic as he imagines what this will do to Annie, how his beloved wife will react to this news that he has died only three days into his mission. Peeta is freaking out, saying they need to kill him now, so Finnick doesn't share his own panicked thoughts, not even when the squad moves on from Peeta's crisis starts suggesting that this is actually a strategic advantage for them (even though now he wants to scream _fuck strategy, I need to get a message to my wife_).

They head into the underground tunnels that Pollux knows from his days of imprisonment in the Capitol, and Finnick has a sense of doom as they enter this dirty underground world that is so different from the stark walls he's grown comfortable with in District 13. They keep going underground, for miles and miles, until finally they're too tired to go further, and then they collapse in a small room and fall into a restless sleep.

"_Katniss. Katniss. Katniss_." Finnick is woken up by a strange hissing, and he doesn't know what to make of it, when Peeta is suddenly shoving them out of the room, forcing them to run through the tunnels. Strange choking noises start up behind him, and Peeta gets a haunted look on his face when he tells them those are the screams of Avoxes. Messala, who has outpaced them all with his light load, runs through a strange gold light that lifts him into the air. Finnick watches as his flesh begins to melt off, and then turns around and begins to urge everyone forward. He's seen so many people die, in so many gruesome ways, that he doesn't react with horror anymore. Not until he's safe and has time to process at least.

The noises are getting louder and louder, when they see a section labeled "Meat Grinder" ahead. Finnick races over it, with Katniss and Gale and Peeta and Homes and Castor and Pollux and Cressida. It's only when Pollux is swinging his hand at a ladder, forcing it to fall down, that Finnick looks back and realizes that Jackson and Leeg 1 have stayed on the other side, to try and slow the oncoming…_whatever those things are_. Katniss activates the meat grinder, and Gale shoots a fire arrow over towards the creatures chasing them and creates a small explosion. Pollux scrambles up the ladder, followed by Gale and Katniss, Peeta and Cressida. Finnick is about to grasp a rung on the ladder, to pull himself up, when he hears Castor gasp behind him. Finnick turns, shocked to see the strange white muttations that have followed them all morning hissing Katniss' name are already surrounding them.

He begins to fight them, with Homes and Castor. Castor goes down quickly, is lost under the crushing feet of these lizard-human hybrid creatures that Snow has sent after them. Homes is fighting his hardest, and Finnick is swinging his trident about with all his strength and skill. It's when Homes goes down and there are still waves and waves of them on their way that Finnick realizes he might not get out of this.

He keeps killing them, but they're all focused on him now_. I am going to die_ he thinks, as three of them manage to attack him at once in the narrow space. The one behind him grabs his neck, exposes it for the bite that will end his life, and suddenly he's flashing through a series of images, transported to a different place entirely.

His mother's face when she smiled. **The mast of a boat. **Annie kissing him for the first time. A** silver parachute. **Annie telling him she loves him.** Mags laughing. **Annie's face in the moonlight on the beach. **A pink sky.** Annie running towards him in District 13_. _**Beetee's trident. **_A pinch of pain-that must be the lizards_.** Annie in her wedding dress. **An Abalone shell in the sand.** Waves breaking over rocks.** A bright white light accompanied by a distant boom.

A/N: In the final paragraph, the parts in bold are the things Suzanne Collins wrote when she was showing Finnick's last thoughts. I added a few things, just to fit in with my story more, and to give Finnick a longer finale.


	38. Chapter 38-23

_23_

Annie watches him leave, memorizes the way his shoulder blades curve towards his spine, the roundness of his shoulders, the hair that falls to the collar of his shirt. When the hovercraft is out of sight, she walks back to their compartment. She feels empty, and so _so_ tired all of a sudden, and she collapses onto their bed, the one that is too big without Finnick. She doesn't sleep, she just falls into a restless state where nothing seems quite real.

When morning comes, she gets up robotically, let's a schedule be stamped onto her arm without reading it. After eating, she goes to one of the common halls, with the big televisions. She curls up in one of the plastic chairs and stares at the screen, stares at it all day until dinner time comes, and then she falls into a restless stupor on their bed again. Another day passes in a similar manner, until the symbol of Panem flashes on the screen. A serious looking reporter announces that they have some important deaths to announce. Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne, Finnick Odair, Lieutenant Boggs. Annie hears the name Finnick Odair and then it feels like the world is crashing down on her. No one is around, so no one sees that her reaction isn't to scream or cry. Her reaction is to sit there and stare blankly. Finnick is dead. Finnick is dead. _Finnick is dead_.

All of a sudden, she feels the urge to move, to prove to herself that it's not true. She runs to their compartment. When she sees that he's not there, she turns right around to sprint to the corridor where she first saw Finnick again after months of torture. He's not there either _(he's nowhere anymore_), but she keeps running. To the hall where they were married, to the place where Finnick practiced with his new trident, and finally to the place where she last saw him, before he took off in the hovercraft. She stands there, and tears are pouring down her face now. Slowly, she drags her feet and wanders aimlessly as the tears keep coming.

At some point, she finds herself standing in front of a compartment she vaguely recognizes as belonging to Johanna Mason. She hasn't spoken directly to Johanna since the night when the arena was destroyed, but she knocks anyways. Johanna answers with a snarl on her face, but when she sees who it is, she simply backs away from the door and lets Annie in. Haymitch and Beetee are in there too, both with a drink in hand. Annie holds out her hand and Haymitch hands her a glass that he fills to the brim. There are no more chairs, and she doesn't want to sit on the bed with Johanna, so she sits on the floor and downs her drink through the tears. Haymitch has a seemingly endless supply of alcohol, and he keeps refilling her drink every time she silently holds out her cup. They sit like that for hours, and the tears eventually stop flowing so frequently. Annie speaks up and startles the others with her voice husky after another hour or so.

"Did you know it took me 13 years to realize I loved Finnick? Everyone else loved him instantly, but I didn't even like him for the first few years. I didn't realize I loved him…in that way, until he told me first."

"I don't think anyone in this room liked Finnick instantly," Haymitch gives a little laugh. "When I first met him, I thought he was an arrogant boy who knew just how pretty he was."

"I didn't like Finnick, even when he was in the games. Everything always seemed to come so easy to him," Johanna snorts, looking disgusted even as she mourns.

"Finnick was always polite to me, but I don't think he ever viewed me as a friend. Not until we came here at least." Beetee's tone doesn't hold any bitterness, just honesty.

They continue to talk, all through the next day, about Finnick, and Peeta and Katniss. Late in the afternoon, she feels a burning in her chest, something peculiar she's never felt before. She clutches at her chest and wonders what is causing the burning sensation. It passes by soon enough though, leaving her to think for the thousandth time _Finnick is gone_.


	39. Chapter 39-24 (Part 1)

_24_

Time has passed, but the hole in her heart created upon Finnick's death is still as raw as ever. Still, Annie feels lucid. In the past six weeks, she's watched Johanna and Haymitch watch her carefully, wait for her to fall apart. Johanna keeps watching even in the weeks after Haymitch leaves, to take care of the broken victors that miraculously came out alive (_not Finnick though, she's not lucky enough for that_). The funny thing is… she doesn't. She thinks it's because she knows Finnick isn't here to put her back together, that she has to stay strong for him. She thinks of when she told him that he needed to thrive, to prove that the Capitol couldn't break him, and she thinks that maybe she's trying to do that now. Prove to the Capitol that they can strip her of everything, and she will do more than just simply survive.

A hovercraft flies Johanna and Annie, and a few important people in to the Capitol. Annie is appalled by the damage she sees to the city where luxury was the norm. Her hands start to shake when she realizes that they have landed just outside of President Snow's mansion, but Johanna Mason pinches her bicep with such force that she remembers he can't hurt her anymore.

They're led upstairs, to a room that has several squashy chairs placed around a mahogany table. Annie and Johanna sit down warily and wait. Peeta enters and sits next to Annie. He looks at her with such solemn eyes, grasps her hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for that time I said I would steal you away. I'm sorry Finnick died." Annie shakes her head, feels her grief well up in her throat before she swallows it back.

"You have to tell me…how it happened." Peeta nods and tells her that sometime soon he'll sit her down and tell her about Finnick's final hours. Enobaria has strolled in at this point, still looking strangely haughty for someone who has supposedly suffered torture. Haymitch follows a few minutes later, with Beetee wiping his glasses hastily behind him. President Coin enters and sits down without looking at any of them. Finally Katniss is escorted in, and she sits at the table.

Annie doesn't know what is going on, why the remaining victors (_7 out of the 59_) are all gathered here. President Coin starts talking, and then she's telling them that they all must vote on something.

"**What has been proposed is that in lieu of eliminating the entire Capitol population, we have a final, symbolic Hunger Games, using children directly related to those who held the most power."**

Annie is flabbergasted. They want to do _what_? Peeta and Haymitch are vocalizing their own shock, and Coin is claiming the idea for her own.

Peeta is the first to vote, of course, shouting no. Johanna votes yes, her eyes burning with an anger that still scares Annie. Enobaria votes yes too, looking bored.

"This is why we rebelled! Remember? Annie?" Peeta is looking at her now, and Annie's voice flies from her mouth without hesitation.

"I vote no with Peeta. So would Finnick if he were here." Then

Johanna says eight words that kill her all over again. **"**But he isn't, because Snow's mutts killed him."

Annie is confused, what does Johanna mean by "mutts"? How did Finnick die? How does Johanna know how Finnick died? All of these questions are whirling through her mind, as she vaguely keeps track of the final votes. Beetee says no. Katniss says yes. Haymitch says yes. 4-3. There's going to be another Hunger Games, another year she'll have to watch children die.

She gets up, shuffles numbly along behind the other victors, all the way towards cold air and a balcony. The sky is grey-blue, and President Snow is barely standing, chained to the side of the balcony. Katniss has her bow and Annie realizes that this is the execution. For once, she thinks she's okay with watching someone die, as long as it's this someone. This man who killed her brothers and her father, the man who's Capitol hoarded the medicine that could have saved her mother. This man that forced Finnick to play in his Games and sell his body and die for a rebellion cause-_this_ man she can watch die. Snow whispers something to Katniss, and Annie sees the way Katniss' eyes widen, the way she sets her jaw. Annie watches her change the trajectory of her bow, and shoot Coin instead.

Chaos erupts around them, as guards try to surround and capture Katniss, as more screams from the crowd below echo and float up around them. And President Snow is leaning against the half-wall, laughing and laughing. Annie is close enough to him, and no one is paying attention to her anyways. She takes a few steps, and then she places her foot on the chain that goes around Snow's neck. She pulls it back with her foot, far enough so that Snow is starting to choke and grasp at the links around his neck. She stands firm now on the chain, hears his laughter turn to panicked breathing, watches the way his fingers scramble at his neck. And, in a fit of madness, she leans towards him, lets him see her face. She whispers their names as he breathes his last breaths, as he recognizes her face. "_Mary. Howard. Emmett. Perrin. Asher. Logan. Mags. Finnick_." President Snow stops breathing, his face is strangely blank in death. Annie melts back into the crowd that has formed around the balcony, her own face devoid of everything except the confusion she has worn for the past five years.


	40. Chapter 40-24 (Part 2)

_24_

Johanna is constantly complaining about District 4. Annie cracked once, and asked why she was here then. Johanna simply glared and told her that she was here to pay her debt to Finnick, and once that was done, then she was going to leave for home as soon as she could.

They'd come back to District 4 three days after Katniss killed President Coin. Once they were cleared, and it had been established that they were not accomplices, they had been encouraged to leave, before the madness of Katniss' trial started. Johanna had silently accompanied her back to District 4, had helped her to clean up her old house in the Victor's Circle after all the months of abandonment.

Two weeks after they'd been back, Annie felt a strange craving for the seaweed bread she'd grown up with. Two weeks later, she felt a strange popping sensation in her belly. Johanna thought she was mad, but the doctor she dragged herself to reassured her that she was merely pregnant. (_Four months along, but he understands she's had a lot on her mind, that this didn't seem possible_.) After another argument ("is it Finnick's?" "Of course it is, he's my-he was my husband!") Johanna turns into a bizarrely kind version of herself.

So Annie watches her belly swell with Finnick's baby, pays attention to Katniss' trial, and grows used to living with Johanna with a strange sense of calm. Johanna stops thinking that she is "completely nuts," and begins treating her like a fellow adult. Katniss is declared innocent (_sort of_) and Annie hears that she's headed back to District 12. Peeta follows her there eventually, and Annie starts calling Haymitch once a week, just to make sure Katniss and Peeta are okay (_it's what Finnick would have wanted her to do_.) Their nation rebuilds, and Beetee calls frequently with updates from the Capitol that Johanna rolls her eyes at but listens to all the same, because he knows what they've been through better than anyone else. Peeta starts calling her, checking in twice a week (_he thinks that Finnick would want him to_). Enobaria disappears until multiple people are found around District 2 with their throats ripped out, and Annie feels a guilty sort of relief when she's killed in an altercation with the people who tried to bring her in for sentencing. Now there are only six of them (_seven if you count the terrified 17 year old boy who won the Capitol Games two months ago_) who have lived through the Games, and Johanna jokes that they're an endangered species. Annie still goes silent sometimes, loses herself in her own head, but then the baby kicks and she remembers that Finnick isn't here to be strong for her, so she has to do it herself.

She's on the beach, sitting approximately where she always used to sit with Finnick (war has changed the shoreline, just as it changed the villages and landscapes behind her), when it happens. A rush of water bursts from her womb, and she's experiencing a severe pain just underneath the bump that is her baby. Slowly, she drags herself back to the house, where Johanna is ready to chide her over being late for dinner. Instead, she's rushed to the doctor, and they talk her through hours of contractions. It's not a pleasant pain, but Annie is smiling through it all because she has a feeling that this baby is going to be just as dramatic as its father always was.

When she hears the infant's wail, she flops backwards against the bed, and reaches out her arms. Johanna is looking over the doctor's shoulder with what Annie thinks is unnecessary suspicion, but then she gets the tiniest smile on her face. Annie is handed the baby, gets to look at her son's face for the first time.

"Hello," she coos, "hi there, Callan."

When the baby opens his eyes wide enough, she sees that they are the exact same shade of blue-green that Finnick's were.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading this far, adding this to your favorites, following this story, reviewing it, etc. I wrote this story because I couldn't get the ideas out of my head any other way. The fact people had a positive response to it is something I'm very appreciative of, and don't take lightly. I named this story "Two Birds" after the Regina Spektor song. It's a sweet little love song, but there's always been this tragic sound to it, to my mind at least. That just seemed to sum up Annie and Finnick's love story perfectly. One last note-the baby's name. I think if Annie had named him "Finnick," Suzanne Collins would have just written "a picture of Annie's son, the second Finnick" plus, I'm not a huge fan of naming children after their parents, even if one of those parents is deceased. "Annie" and "Finn" are English and Irish names, respectively, so I wanted a name that came from one of those two origins. "Callan" is Irish and it means "battle" or "rock". I thought both were kind of perfect, because the baby is sort of the ultimate symbol of the battle that Annie and Finnick waged against the Capitol, and how much they fought to try and have a happy ending, but I think the baby would become Annie's rock in the same way Finnick had always been. Plus, there's a sort of symmetry-Finnick, Annie, Callan-all have a repeated consonant in the middle.


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